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A TREATISE ON 

The Miracles of Christ and 
Mind Healing 

OF THE PRESENT DAY AS 
VIEWED BY A PHYSICIAN 



tBy REINHOLD WILLMAN, M.D. 

AUTHOR 
Saint Joseph, Missouri 



Published by THE ADVOCATE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

SAINT JOSEPH, MISSOURI. U.S.A. 



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COPYRIGHT, 1909 

All Rights Reserved, including Translation and Reproduction 

By REINHOLD WILLMAN, St. Joseph, Mo. 



PRINTED BY NELSON-HANNE PRINTING COMPAN 
ST. JOSEPH. MISSOURI 



I 



IBRARY of CONGRESS, 
Two Codes Received 

JUW 22 W0$ 

Copynant Entry _s 
CLASS /<! XXc. No. 



PHIS BOOK is dedicated to oil men and wo- 
■*• men who desire to assist in the promulgation 
of the truth concerning the treatment of human ills, 
as taught in Scriptural History, and as applied by 
reason of scientific research — as a duty, one to 
another. 



PREFACE 



The present is not a detailed life of Jesus of Naza- 
reth, Who is called Christ. Nearly every modern lan- 
guage abounds in books of that class. Our aim is 
to set forth the view the physician can and must take of 
the miraculous cures wrought by the Savior of mankind 
on the sick who came to Him for help. 

Religious controversy and questions of theology as 
belonging to an entirely different field of thought, and to 
theologians ex professo, have been most studiously 
avoided by the author. 

The matter under consideration is treated according 
to the rules and conclusions of medical science made use 
of in diagnosis and analysis. 

This book, therefore, will primarily be of interest 
to the colleagues of our profession, many of whom may 
not infrequently have occasion to be questioned concern- 
ing the cures wrought by Christ. 

To thoughtful laymen this little volume may also be 
helpful. 

It is customary in the preface to any work to give 
the sources of information from whence the author has 
drawn. Our principal source is the Holy Bible. We 
are aware that some question the Divine inspiration of 
Sacred Scripture, but we also know that very few deny 
the historical accuracy of the Biblical records. 

The miraculous cures of Jesus are undisputed his- 
torical facts. 



In order that we may not be accused of plagiarism 
we admit that in the arrangement and treatment of our 
subject we were somewhat under the influence of a little 
book published in German several years ago and entitled, 
"Christus Medicus?" (meaning was Christ a physician). 

Those of our readers, however, who have perused the 
German work will not fail to notice the difference be- 
tween the two in nearly every respect. 

If this volume should dispel the doubts of only one 
person concerning the person and work of Christ we 
shall consider ourselves amply repaid. 

REINHOLD WILLMAN, 

301 North Eleventh Street, St. Joseph, Mo. 



CONTENTS 

The Physician of Ancient History 10 

Paralysis 16 

General Paralysis 26 

The Scriptural Blind 34 

The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb 48 

Those Who Are Quoted as Possessed 62 

Other Cases of Interest 75 

Healing Patients in Groups 79 

Scriptural Leprosy 82 

Resurrection of the Dead 93 

Miracles Other Than Those of Healing the Afflicted 98 

The Mind and Suggestion 107 

Hypnotism 103 

The Mind and Spiritual Healing 107 

Dowieism Ill 

Theosophy 113 

Eddyism 115 

First Church of Christ, Scientist 122 

Quotations from Science and Health, with Comments 127 

Emmanuelism 153 

Conclusion 162 



INTRODUCTORY 

Take fast hold of instruction; let it not go: 
keep it; for it is thy life.— Prov. iv: 13 

It may seem superfluous to go into the origin, cause 
and prognosis of the various diseases, since this volume 
is primarily intended for the profession. Nevertheless, 
the attention will be drawn to the importance of those 
diseases which evangelists report as having been healed 
by Christ. 

The laymen also will be made acquainted with the 
known physiological changes brought about in the human 
body through disease, which exposition will arouse inter- 
est not only as to the character of the disease, but also 
bring the fact before the mind that the disease is in 
reality a lesion, and in nearly all cases a known reality — a 
real diversion from the normal state. 

How many have been told that disease is simply a 
matter of mental delusion, and can be stopped by reliev- 
ing the mind? 

When, therefore, the reader is shown that diseases 
are in reality brought on by specific causes, and that those 
changes bring about a positive change in the structure of 
the cells of the body, then it must become clear (to any 
reasonable person), that a case of sickness is a real 
thing, and can only be relieved by a real remedy. 

The specification, symptomatology, the treatment 
and prognosis are ordinarily well known to the profes- 
sion, and are more exhaustively and elaborately treated 
in the physicians' text-books than is or can be done in this 
volume. 



8 



This volume is intended to give them a short and 
fairly complete key to the situation, to enable them to 
be on their guard, and be capable to quote from a reliable 
source what the Scriptures really teach concerning the 
art or mode of healing, or treating the sick, and thereby 
become enabled to combat the erroneous teachings of 
those who would use Scripture as authority for their 
false notions or teachings, to be able to prove without 
the slightest chance of contradiction that Christ did not 
originate the doctrine of healing the sick by faith, nor 
do away with the old law, especially not with the physi- 
cian, but on the contrary that by His teaching He not 
only permitted the old law and rules to stand, but that 
He, Christ, has greatly — yes, most highly honored the 
physician. 

Though not unwelcome to the physician, our treat- 
ment, as outlined, may furthermore assist in enlighten- 
ing lay people into whose hands this book may fall. 

The author has endeavored to spare no pains to bring 
forth the historical and scientific facts in the most con- 
cise and simple form with reference to authorities — 
Biblical, Secular and Scientific — with constant regard for 
seekers of truth and facts as they exist, so they may in 
the shortest possible time inform themselves upon such 
subjects as are herein considered. 

Before entering upon our subject in the main, it may 
not be out of place to state that this work is written for 
the benfit of humanity, and is intended to be read by the 
people in general. 

Much has been said and written on the subject of Di- 
vine healing, etc., etc., and was discussed from all sides 
and points; but no treatise has been supplied by which 
the true historical and authenticated facts are shown up 



in a full and comprehensive form from the viewpoint of 
the physician, science and common sense. 

The aim of the author is to supply this in a manner 
most simple and concise as possible. The measures by 
which the preservation of health and mode of dealing with 
the diseases of mankind, can only be promulgated or ad- 
ministed through those who have studied the human 
body both in health and disease, and those are the phy- 
sicians. 

The unfortunate circumstance that the state permits 
the treatment of imaginary and real illness by those who 
know nothing of the anatomy, physiology nor pathology of 
the human body — (let alone denying that there is any- 
thing in common with the human body and its disease), 
is in itself most deplorable, if not criminal. 

Physicians do not object to any form or to no form 
of treatment by those who know the structure of the body 
in health and disease, and are equipped with the knowl- 
edge of what is recognized as reasonable therapeutic 
means for the treatment of the sick and debilitated, but 
they believe that the interests of humanity absolutely de- 
mands this much. 

It is therefore the serious responsibility of the state, 
and duty of the physicians, and all those who would be 
interested in the preservation of health and well-being of 
the human race, to do all they can to prevent the murder 
of our citizens by those who are insane, who deny every- 
thing, and pretend to know everything, and often sit idly 
by when progressively the patients linger to a state be- 
yond physical aid, permitting them to die, when they 
might, with proper aid, have been saved to the family and 
to the state. 

Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the 
countenance of his friend. — Proverb. 



The Physician of Ancient History 

(From the Old Testament.) 

The physician has at all times been honored by the 
people in general, but especially so by the recognized 
teachers and benefactors of mankind, viz., the prophets 
and philosophers, by Jesus Christ himself, the apostles, 
the fathers and doctors of the Christian church. 

In the Old Testament we have evidence in abundance 
where the physician was prominent throughout the early 
ages, and not less so in the time of Christ and the apos- 
tles, from which a few of the most notable passages will 
be quoted as we proceed. 

In the book of Genesis, L:2, where, after the death 
of Jacob, Joseph commanded the physicians to embalm 
his father. 

And we find that physicians were paid for their 
work, as you will notice in laws relating to justice, Exo- 
dus xxi:19, the work and expenses of the physician is 
part of the consideration. 

It may seem remarkable to notice that in Leviticus, 
xii, we read of the priests having charge, so to speak, of 
the lepers, and nothing is said of physicians, not even of 
the diagnosis of the disease. But this seems to be pecu- 
liarly a disease which at that time was supposed to be 
incurable, and not within the sphere of a physician's 
power to alleviate or cure, and, more, that of a plague of 
Divine wrath, etc., hence placed in the nands of the 
priests and Levites, who constituted what we now would 
call a board of health or sanitation. At that time they 
were under a special law, whose duties were minutely 



The Physician of Ancient History. 11 

prescribed, and, as a matter of fact, in this particular, 
held a similar position as do the physicians, but with 
greater and of Divine authority. 

It may seem rather odd that the priests should have 
been authorized to have charge of the people afflicted with 
this disease, so it may not be out of order to admit that 
this was peculiarly a symbolical signification. 

In Holy Scripture we find notations of sickness and 
death of kings and judges, and no mention is made of 
physicians attending them, even in epidemics, as, for ex- 
ample, after the census of David (Kings iii.,) there is 
nothing mentioned of physicians. Holy Writ having re- 
ferred to them in former and later cases ,we would not 
exclude them here. 

When the son of Jeroboam took sick the king sent 
his wife to the Prophet Ehijah to learn what the end 
might be. 3 Kings, xiv:2. 

Scripture tells us nothing of Ochaziah having a phy- 
sician after falling through the window, but does men- 
tion the fact of his sending for Beelzebub, the God of 
Accaron, to learn whether he shall recover. We may in- 
fer that he did or did not have a physician. The former, 
however, would be the most probable, and that holds good 
in the former instance. 4 Kings, i :2. 

It will be well to remind the reader that the prophets 
were not called upon as healers or physicians. They may 
at times have been diagnosticians, but ordinarily their 
prognosis was announced at a distance, and in this in- 
stance it may safely be inferred that the prophet had 
neither seen the sick man, nor had much information as 
to the extent of his sickness. 3 Kings, xiv:6. 

The lump of figs which Isaiah placed on the boil or 
ulcer of Hezekiah, which, it seems, had healed him of the 



12 The Physician of Ancient History, 

deadly disease, has little to do as a whole concerning the 
supernatural character of the reported case. 4 Kings, 
xx : 7. 

In the second Paralipomenon, xvi:-2, we read that 
"King Asa fell sick in the S9th year of his reigning of a 
most violent pain in his feet, and yet in his illness he did 
not seek the Lord, but rather trusted in the skill of phy- 
sicians." . . Therefore it is plain that the kings in those an- 
cient times recognized the skill of physicians. 

There is no mention of Tobias seeking the assistance 
of a physician in his blindness, but that does not say that 
he did not, nor that he did not make use of the then ordi- 
nary means and remedies in use, he having been blind for 
years. However, the gall of a fish as useful medicine was 
used as an ointment to his eyes, which healed them. To- 
bias vi:5 and xi:13. 

Job, the sufferer, most likely was afflicted with some 
form of leprosy, for it seems that he had no physician to 
aid him in his illness; at least there is no mention of a 
physician in the Book of Job. On the other hand Jere- 
miah, iii:22, exclaimed: "Is there no balm in Gilead?" 
(or is there no physician?) "Why, then, is not the wound 
of the daughter of my people closed?" Although this 
may be figuratively it shows plainly the existence 
of a recognized medical profession, in those days. 
The most illustrious and comprehensive notation in 
which the physicians are praised and commented upon in 
Holy Writ we find in Ecclesiasticus xxxviii, 1 to 7 and 11 
to 15, where it is written, "Honor the physician for the 
need thou hast for him, for the Most High hath created 
him, for all healing is from God, and he shall receive gifts 
of the king. (Recompense.) The skill of the physician 
shall lift up his head, and in the sight of great men he 
shall be praised; the Most High hath created medicines 



The Physician of Ancient History. 13 

out of the earth, and a tvise man will not abhor them; was 
not bitter water made sweet with ivoodV 

u The virtue of these things is come to the knowl- 
edge of men, and the Most High hath given this knowl- 
edge to men, that He may be honored in His wonders. 

"By these {medicines) he shall cure and shall allay 
their pains, and of these the apothecary shall make sweet 
confections, and shall make up ointments of health, and 
of his works there shall be no end. 

"Give a sweet savour and a memorial of fine flour, 
and make a fat offering, and then give place to the physi- 
cian, for the Lord created him, and let him not depart 
from thee, for his ivorks are necessary. For there is a 
time when thou must fall into their hands, and they shall 
beseech the Lord that he would prosper ivhat they give 
for ease and remedy for their conversion. He that 
sinneth before His maker shall fall into the hands of the 
physician." 

Circumcision was, by reason of the ritualistic char- 
acter, placed in the hands of the priests. This, however, 
did not make the priest a physician, no more so than the 
women, who, in the case of emergency, themselves per- 
formed circumcision on their first-born, or we would with 
equal right claim that (in 1 Paralipomenon, ix:30, the 
sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices used 
in consecration), the apothecaries were recruited from 
the sons of the priests. 

The general rule was that when an anatomical in- 
vestigation of bodies, the death of which was to be de- 
termined as to sanitation, it devolved upon the priest, to 
whom the touching of such dead bodies was positively 
forbidden. 

For the sake of completeness allow it to be mentioned 
that the Israelites employed midwives. 



14 The Physician of Ancient History. 

From the foregoing it is clear that : 

1. At the time Jesus Christ was on earth, and for 
many centuries, there was a recognized medical pro- 
fession, entirely separate and distinct from that of the 
priesthood. 

2. That therapy was chiefly medical, but included 
surgery. 

3. We must accept as a matter of fact that the phy- 
sicians at that time, and for past centuries, were trained 
or schooled in a special manner suitable for their pro- 
fession, although especial mention is not made of such 
in Scripture. 

Among the most noted physicians of record in his- 
tory who lived within a few centuries before and after 
Christ and the apostles may be mentioned Hippocrates, 
born 460 B. C, and known as the Father of Medicine, 
because he developed a system and theories on disease and 
medicine, thereby raising the art to the dignity of a 
learned profession. 

Later on the most noted men in the profession, it 
would seem, were Asclepiades, who practiced in Rome 100 
B. C. ; Celsius, the Cicero of medicine, great as a surgeon 
and scholar at Rome during the first half century A. D., 
and Galen, known by his teachings and writings, 130-200 
A. D., whose works were considered authority on medi- 
cine for more than 1,000 years after Christ. 

Jesus Christ, Who lived with His parents in the hum- 
ble village of Nazareth, and was known as the carpenter's 
son until He began His public life of teaching, had no 
opportunity to acquire the knowledge of the profession, 
and such was never attributed to Him. Scripture is 
silent as to Jesus ever having laid claim to the profession 
of a physician or surgeon. The mockery of the multitude 
to him, "Physician, Heal Thyself/' proves nothing. 



The Physician of Ancient History. 15 

Although we know nothing of the laws at that time 
which would protect the medical profession it seems 
rather striking that there is no record of the physicians' 
animosity toward Christ, which may, however, be ac- 
counted for by the fact that the remarkable cures were 
not reproachable. 

When we follow Bible history up to and including 
the time of Christ and the apostles we will observe that 
the diseases with which mankind was then afflicted were 
fairly well understood, not only by the physicians, priests 
and scribes, but also by the laity, and, as a rule, much as 
they are in our days, so that we have no difficulty to fol- 
low them in our considerations of the miraculous cures 
wrought by Jesus Christ. 

The diseases quoted in Holy Writ as having been 
healed by Jesus Christ may be considered by placing 
them in several groups, which seem to have been followed 
to some extent by the apostles, much as we do in our 
time — as, for instance, paralytics and neurotics, which we 
find quoted by St. Matthew, iv :24 and ix :2, St. Mark, ii :3, 
and St. Luke, v:18. We will begin by considering paral- 
ysis. 



Paralysis 

Paralysis may be irregularly distributed or may in- 
volve a single member, when it is termed monoplegia ; or 
a lateral half of the body, when it is termed hemiplegia ; 
or the body from the waist down, when it is termed para- 
plegia. 

Irregular paralysis may result from : 

1. Disseminated lesions in the motor areas of the 
brain, which are commonly termed syphilitic. 

2. Lesions in the basal gangliapons, crura cerebri, 
or medulla, when it is often associated with headache, 
vomiting, vertigo and optic neuritis. 

3. Acute Poliomyelitis. This develops abruptly. 
It occurs in young children, and is followed by rapid im- 
provement in some muscles, and permanent atrophy and 
paralysis in others. 

4. Chronic Poliomyelitis — This devolops in middle 
life, beginning in the small muscles of the hand; is as- 
sociated with atrophy, and progresses very slowly. 

5. Idiopathic Muscular Atrophy — This commonly 
develops during adolescence ; involves the muscles of the 
arm, shoulder, buttocks and thighs; is associated with 
atrophy, and can be frequently traced to heredity. 

6. Pseudo-Muscular Hypertrophy— This develops 
in children ; is associated with enlargement of the affected 
muscles, and is recognized by pain, atrophy of the affected 
muscles, and can be frequently traced to heredity. 

7. Multiple Neuritis — This is recognized by the his- 
tory, as pain, disturbances of sensation, and tenderness 
over the nerve-trunks. 



Paralysis. 17 

8 — Syringomyelia — This is rare; develops during 
adolescence, and is recognized by pain, atrophy of the af- 
fected muscles, a spastic condition of the paralyzed mem- 
bers, and a loss of thermic and painful sensations, while 
tactile sensation is retained. 

MONOPLEGIA may result from: 

1. A local lesion in the cortical area of the brain. 
This may be recognized by the history, the absence of 
wasting, of sensory disturbances and of the reactions of 
degeneration. 

2. A lesion of the peripheral nerves from trauma- 
tism, neuritis, or the pressure of a tumor. Brachial mon- 
oplegia frequently results from the pressure of the head 
on the arm during sleep. Monoplegia of peripheral ori- 
gin is recognized by history, the wasting, the sensory dis- 
turbances, and the presence of reaction of degeneration. 

3. Hysteria — This may be recognized by the his- 
tory, sex and temperament, the paroxysmal character of 
the paralysis, the disturbances of sensation, and con- 
tractures without atrophy or electrical disturbance. 

FACIAL MONOPLEGIA may result from a small 
lesion in the facial centre of the cortex or in the medulla ; 
or from involvement of the nerve in the canal of the tem- 
poral bone, or after its exit from the stylo-mastoid fora- 
men. 

FACIAL DIPLEGIA (double facial paralysis) gen- 
erally results from a lesion at the base of the brain. 
HEMIPLEGIA may result from: 

1. A diffuse lesion of the motor cortex. The paral- 
ysis is in the opposite side of the body, and is unasso- 
ciated with anaesthesia. 

2. A lesion of the internal capsule or the adjacent 
ganglia (corpus striatum and optic thalamus). This is 



18 Paralysis. 

the most common seat of hemorrhage ; the paralysis is on 
the opposite side of the body and is unassociated with 
anaesthesia. 

3. A lesion of the crus cerebri. This frequently 
produces hemiplegia and hemianaesthesia on the opposite 
side, and paralysis of the oculo-motor nerve on the side of 
the lesion, indicated by dilated pupil, strabismus and 
ptosis. 

4. A Lesion of the Pons — This frequently produces 
hemiplegia and hemianaesthesia on the opposite side, and 
facial paraplegia on the side of the lesion. 

5. A Lesion in the Medulla — This is rare, and is 
associated with paralysis of the cranial nerves, deficient 
articulation, cardiac and respiratory disturbances, and 
vomiting. 

6. A Bilateral Lesion, High in the Cord (which is 
very rare)— This produces a spastic paralysis on the side 
affected, and hemianaesthesia on the opposite side. 

7. Hysteria — This may be recognized by the his- 
tory, sex and temperament by being frequently paroxys- 
mal by its association with sensory disturbances, by the 
absence of wasting and of abnormal electrical reactions. 

PARAPLEGIA may result: 

1. Hemorrhage Into the Cord at the Dorsal Re- 
gion — The paralysis develops abruptly, and is associated 
with complete anaesthesia and involvement of the bladder 
and rectum. 

2. Hemorrhage Into the Membranes of the Cord — 
The paralysis develop rapidly, but more slowly than the 
preceding; is associated with intense pains and incom- 
plete anaesthesia. 

3. LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA— A denegerative affec- 
tion of the lower sensory nerves, involving the spinal 



Paralysis. 19 

ganglia, posterior roots and posterior columns of the cord, 
and characterized by inco-ordination, loss of deep re- 
flexes, disturbances of nutrition and of sensation, and va- 
rious ocular phenomena ; one of the earliest symptoms is 
loss of co-ordination, the gait is characteristic, pain is 
rarely absent, the patellar reflex is lost, the pupil fails 
to respond to light, while it still accommodates for dis- 
tance, loss of power, paralysis of the sphincters, epilepti- 
form seizures, perforating ulcers of the foot are some- 
times observed. The prognosis is generally unfavorable, 
although arrest and even improvement are not infre- 
quent, but after months' or years' treatment at best. 

4. Primary spastic paraplegia, or lateral sclerosis, 
is a nervous affection, probably dependent upon sclerosis 
of the lateral columns, and characterized by loss of power, 
increased reflexes, and a spastic condition of the muscles. 
Loss of power is generally the first symptom. This be- 
gins in the lower extremities and increases very slowly; 
the knee-jerk is exaggerated, and in most cases ankle- 
clonus can be elicited. When put in use the muscles be- 
come stiff or spastic, and when the disease is fully devel- 
oped the joint is peculiar. In walking the knees are 
drawn together, the legs drag behind, and the toes catch 
the ground. The muscles do not waste, but rather tend 
to become hypertrophied from continued reflex stimula- 
tion. The sphincters are ultimately affected, sensation 
is generally undisturbed, but subjective phenomena, like 
numbness and tingling, may be observed; the upper ex- 
tremities are not often involved, but finally loss of power 
and rigidity may develop in them also. The prognosis is 
arrested, the duration is indefinite. 

5. HEREDITARY ATAXIA— A sclerotic affection 
of the spinal cord, occurring in several children of the 
same family, and characterized by symptoms resembling 



20 Paralysis. 

locomotor ataxia. The greatest number of cases develop 
between the second and fifteenth years. Some can be 
traced to hereditary influence; in others a cause cannot 
be ascertained. 

THE PATHOLOGY— Sclerosis of the posterior and 
lateral columns of the cord. Symptoms are, loss of co- 
ordination in the arms and legs, irregular jerking move- 
ments of the hands, loss of reflex, a scanning speech, 
spinal curvative, equino-varus (heel raised and the sole 
turned in). Prognosis unfavorable. The duration is 
many years. 

6. PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR ATROPHY— A 
chronic nervous affection, characterized anatomically by 
degeneration of the ganglia cells of the gray matter of the 
cord, and manifested clinically by loss of power and 
atrophy of corresponding muscles. Usual male sex, 
middle life and hereditary tendency are the predisposing 
causes. It sometimes follows prolonged emotional ex- 
citement, exposure to cold, traumatism, etc. Microscopic 
examination of the gray matter of the cord reveals 
atrophy or complete absence of the large multipolar cells 
in the anterior cornua, and an overgrowth of connective 
tissue. The anterior root-fibres are also the seat of de- 
generative changes. 

Not infrequently prodromal symptoms are noted in 
the parts affected, such as pain, coldness or numbness, 
soon loss of power and wasting begins in the small mus- 
cles of the hand, the themar, and interossei muscles. Al- 
though one hand is usually affected before the other, the 
disease tends to become symmetrical. Next to the 
hands the muscles of the shoulder and arms slowly waste, 
rendering the long prominences marked, and so the dis- 
ease advances little by little, until the patient is reduced 
to a mere skeleton. The hands assume a characteristic 



Paralysis. 21 

appearance from atrophy of the interossei and contrac- 
tion of the long extensor and flexor muscles, they become 
claw-like, and progression is usually the result, and if 
death does not result by extension to the medulla and lead 
to bulbar palsy, such as indistinct articulation, difficult 
swallowing and embarrassed respiration. It may be as- 
sociated with lateral sclerosis, when it is termed myotro- 
phi lateral sclerosis, ana it may lead to bulbar palsy. 

7. ACUTE ASCENDING PARALYSIS is an acute 
disease of rare occurrence, characterized by motor paral- 
ysis, beginning in the feet and rapidly spreading until it 
involves the muscles of respiration and degeneration. 
The causes are unknown. It is usually observed in young 
male adults. The abrupt onset, acute course and ab- 
sence of known cause (even in our days), and of definite 
lesion have suggested an infectious origin. The progno- 
sis is unfavorable; the vast majority of cases terminate 
fatally in the course of a few days. Occasionally there is 
a spontaneous arrest and a gradual restoration to health. 

IN BULBAR PARALYSIS, glosso-laryngial paral- 
ysis or paralysis of the lips, tongue, pharynx and larynx 
from destruction of the ganglionic cells of the medulla 
oblongata, an acute form is observed, which results 
either from hemorrhage or from an acute poliomyelitis of 
the medulla. The chronic form, or progressive bulbar 
palsy, may result from chronic poliomyelitis, involving 
primarily the medulla, or from the extension of the de- 
generative process in paretic dementia, amyotrophic lat- 
eral sclerosis, progressive muscular atrophy, or acute as- 
cending paralysis, and is recognized by the impairment of 
speech, inability to protrude the tongue, dribbling of sa- 
liva, Gitiicult swallowing, choking spells from the en- 
trance of food or mucus into the larynx; partial sup- 



22 Paralysis. 

pression of voice and measured speaking ; f ribrillary tre- 
mors of the lips and tongue, etc. The prognosis is unfa- 
vorable. 

Compression Myelitis occurs from pressure on the 
spinal cord by fractures of the spine, caries in the spine, 
tumors of the spine developed inside of the spinal canal. 
The onset of the symptoms may be either sudden or grad- 
ual, according to the cause of the compression. In frac- 
tures it is sudden, as a rule; in tumors and caries grad- 
ual, paralysis is more or less complete in all parts below 
the seat of injury or lesion. Irritation to the nerves at 
the seat of the disease, as shown by pains that may be 
constant or darting, along the course of the nerves in the 
immediate neighborhood of the disease, and there may be 
anaesthesia in their distribution. Trophic disorders 
soon appear; the bladder may be involved, the extremi- 
ties may become paralyzed, bed sores and spinal epilepsy 
occurs, with spasmodic twitching of the lower extremi- 
ties muscular wasting may be present, the paralyzed 
parts look bluish, etc., etc. Treatment depends upon 
the nature of the lesion, in the main surgical. 

PARALYSIS FROM CENTRAL LESIONS— Sim- 
ple leptomeningitis, or acute meningitis of the convexity, 
cerebral meningitis is an acute inflammation of the pia 
mater, not due to tuberculosis, but may be caused by 
traumatism, sunstroke, rheumatism, Bright's disease, in- 
fectious fevers, and occasionally from caries of the bone, 
which is secondary to middle-ear disease. 

The symptoms are irregular fever, loss of appetite, 
constipation, intense headache, intolerance to light and 
sound, contracted pupils, delirium, retraction of the head, 
convulsions, and coma. 

Prognosis is unfavorable, though recovery is not im- 
possible after long and persistent treatment. 



Paralysis. 23 

CHRONIC LEPTOMENINGITIS is a chronic in- 
flammation of the piamater, and may result from syphi- 
lis, alcoholism, traumatism or sunstroke. It may be sec- 
ondary to acute infectious leptomeningitis. It is an as- 
sociated condition in abscess and tumors of the brain, 
and the symptoms are persistent dull headache, mental 
deterioration, vertigo, muscular weakness, a low grade of 
optic neuritis, and such as are observed in acute lepto- 
meningitis. Prognosis is more or less unfavorable, de- 
pendent upon the cause and degree, and those terminat- 
ing favorably do so after long, persistent and careful 
treatment. 

HEMIPLEGIA, paralysis of one side of the body, al- 
ternate hemiplegia or paralysis of one side of the face 
and the opposite of the body, may be caused by sudden 
cerebral effusion or extravasation of blood ; apoplexy, due 
to an atheromatous condition of the blood vessels, and all 
cases which lead to degeneration of the arteries, sclerosis 
of the vessels; embole (clot), due to cardiac hypertrophy 
with arterial degeneration. In either case paraylsis is 
sudden. Thrombosis of the cerebral arteries or tumor 
may be of a sudden character, but usually there are pro- 
dromal symptoms. The prognosis in either case always 
doubtful. When the attack does not prove fatal there is 
always a probability of a subsequent one, for the etiolog- 
ical condition still remains, and a radical or complete cure 
is out of all question. 

If the lesion is of the third frontal convolution on 
the left side, whether due to hemorrhage emboli (throm- 
bosis), tumor or abscess, will result in aphasia, loss of 
memory, the person can understand what is said to him, 
but cannot repeat after you or speak himself ; can recog- 
nize things about him, what is said, but can make no 
reply. 



24 Paralysis. 

APRAXIA OR SENSORY APHASIA is a person 
who may be able to see objects, but be unable to recog- 
nize them. He is unable to write, as he has forgotten the 
appearance of the letters. This is known as word blind- 
ness ; the lesion is in the gyrus. 

In ancient times prior to the anatomic science, hem- 
iplegia and aphasia were considered to be of entirely dif- 
ferent diseases, and if such were recognized to exist in 
the same person it was supposed to be accidental. The 
comprehension of hemiplegia with the Jews at that time 
was lacking. If, therefore, the paralytics spoken of in 
the Bible were at the same time aphasiacs the reference 
to them would have most likely been that of dumbness, or 
that they did not speak right, or could not speak properly, 
or were defective in their speech, and paralysis of the ex- 
tremities would be the chief disease noticed in those 
times. 

Prognosis of the various aphasias is, and was at the 
time, no better than in hemiplegia. The treatment is of 
prolonged duration, and for weeks, months or years, and 
although isolated cases may be partially or wholly cured, 
recurrence is the rule, even in those which do yield tol 
treatment. Localized cortical growths, which are not 
malignant or syphilitic, abscess, due to traumatism or 
foreign bodies, are suitable to surgical interference. 

In tumors of the brain prognosis is mostly unfavor- 
able. Paralysis of the extremities in children, especially 
those which are caused from cerebellar lesions, spastic 
hemiplegia, which may be unlateral or bilateral, and 
may date from birth, but not observed until some time 
after, due to a lesion on one side or on both sides of the 
motor tract of each hemisphere, with secondary degener- 



Paralysis. 25 

ation in the lateral columns. The subjects of either con- 
dition are or will usually be imbeciles, arrest of develop- 
ment, and great loss of substance in the affected areas. 
A certain number of these cases are the result of polio- 
encephalitis. Treatment is of little use except to re- 
lieve the contraction by friction. 



General Paralysis of the Insane 

Progressive Paralysis or Dementia 
Paralytica 

Is the form of insanity we find in combination with 
paralysis, or rather the only form of paralysis associated 
with insanity. This is a chronic disease of the brain, 
characterized by marked mental enfeeblement, with 
grandiose, hypochondriacal or melancholic delirium. The 
cause appears not clearly determined. Neuropathic in- 
heritance, excesses of all kinds, alcoholic drink, excessive 
mental strain and anxieties in business, late hours, ex- 
cessive eating, and undoubtedly in many cases syhpilitic 
poison, are all factors. And the prodromal symptoms 
are various, such as marked change in the disposition, 
etc., and later on the physical symptoms which often ap- 
pear; or difficulty in speech, the lips and facial muscles 
tremble, etc, etc., until general paralysis takes place. 
Prognosis is extremely unfavorable. The duration va- 
ries and ends in death. There is no treatment which 
cures this disease. 

SPASTIC HEMIPLEGIA IN CHILDREN may be 
a subject that should receive attention in this discussion. 
The majority of these cases occur in the first three years 
of life, but may occur at a later period. The disease is 
caused possibly by abnormal conditions of the mother 
during pregnancy; accidents and injury to the mother 
are possible causes — abnormal labor, injuries to the 
head and infectious diseases. It often begins just after 
birth, with convulsions, either local or generalized ; there 
may be a series of convulsions, coming on at intervals and 



General Paralysis. 27 

lasting several days, with hemiplegia, which remain per- 
manent, or the child may die within the first day or two. 
In later life the disease is usually ushered in by convul- 
sions, with or without fever. After the convulsions 
cease the child is found hemiplegic; the face is not al- 
ways affected ; the hemiplegia is usually not complete, so 
that the child soon learns to walk, although awkwardly. 
As the child grows the paralyzed side does not develop as 
fully as the other ; the bones may be shorter ; in the ma- 
jority of cases contracture takes place to a greater or 
less degree; the arm may be fixed, the hand flexed, and 
the fingers drawn in. The leg is never so much affected 
as the arm ; sensation is usually not affected. Sooner or 
later epileptic convulsions may occur, and the convulsive 
seizures may be confined to the paralyzed side. In some 
of these cases there is imbecility. There may be hem- 
iplegia trembling when the muscles are put on a stretch ; 
or it may be continuous during the working hours, and 
not made worse by motion, as in disseminated sclerosis, 
but is rather diminished, or entirely stopped by volun- 
tary efforts, at least when first made, in this respect, 
like the trembling in paralysis agitans. The movements 
are disorderly and irregular, and cease during sleep. 

ATHETOSIS is a condition of constant motion in 
the fingers, hands and feet. The patient is unable to 
keep them in any fixed position, and is more particularly 
characterized by the slow twisting, intertwining, separa- 
tion and extension of the fingers and toes. Athetosis is 
frequently observed in the cerebral palsies of children, 
and it occasionally occurs in adults as a result of lesions 
in the basal ganglia. 

HYSTERICAL PARALYSIS may simulate any 
form of paralysis, and it appears to have no adequate 
causative lesion. Trauma and shock may have a place 



28 General Paralysis. 

of consideration; physical impulse may not respond, but 
in the majority of cases the reflexes are unimpaired. 

A hysteric, for instance, believes that his arm is 
paralyzed, he will therefore make no attempt to use the 
arm. He will refuse to dress or undress himself, to 
write, etc., because he claims that he has not the power to 
do so ; but at unguarded times he will make some motion, 
and when unguarded will ward off sudden pretenses to 
strike him. Laymen will consider these actions as 
feigning and insist that such actions should be un- 
masked. It may be more proper to say that they imag- 
ine that they are paralyzed, and it is therefore an imagi- 
nary disease on their part, because when he does not 
think of it he is not paralyzed. Some authors claim 
that one-twelfth, or even more of paralysis among hys- 
terics is simply imaginary or hysterical paralysis. There 
are many physicians who never see hysterical paralysis, 
and in some interior clinics not a case is recognized in 
years. There are insane asylums which report no such 
cases for years, and we may therefore doubt that these 
cases are as numerous as some authors claim. 

To conclude that the Biblical paralytics were all, or 
in the majority, hysterics, would be at least erroneous; or 
would anyone of ordinary knowledge of the malady con- 
sider it reasonable that hysterics are cured without ques- 
tion and instantly? 

All history and medical authority is united on the 
question that hysterical paraylsis may be cured after 
days, months or years of treatment. It must, however, 
be remembered that they are characteristic in point of 
uncertainty; subject to relapses at any time is the rule. 

Instantaneous cures are usually deceptions or may 
die of intercurrent diseases. To cure a hysterical 
paralytic requires long, methodical and physico- 



General Paralysis. 29 

pedagogical treatment; and the cure of paralysis 
after all does not cure the hysteric. In many cases the 
apparent cure of the hysteric paralysis does not even 
mean or indicate improvement, for in exchange some 
other symptom will take its place, and is therefore an 
uncertainty, and often resisting all efforts, physical, med- 
ical and surgical. 

Hysterical paralysis is an unknown quantity, an un- 
certainty. Charcot, in his time, warned the physicians 
most impressively, even in the most favorable cases, lest 
his reputation may be at stake. 

Christ's reputation, however, did not suffer in rela- 
tion to paralytics. 

CATALEPSY may be a question for consideration 
in connection with the Biblical paralysis. Formerly this 
was regarded as a special disease, but is now known as a 
symptom of several. Most frequently the cause is hys- 
teria. In other cases it may be grave mental disease, 
as melancholia, atonia or catatonia. The most striking 
cases are those due to hysteria, and these may be accom- 
panied by partial or complete loss of consciousness, and 
by insensibility to pain or other sensation. The condi- 
tion may develop gradually, though more often after 
hysterical convulsions, and it may constantly recur, so 
that a patient is almost continuously cataleptic for weeks 
at a time. The appearance of death in such cases is 
usually only superficial, and not deceptive, except to 
careless examination. 

There are patients who will at times comply with 
the commands of attendants or physicians, but more 
often the reverse is the case, and if such patients should 
at the command arise there would be no assurance that 
he would not relapse, or in his sudden impulse turn on 
his therapeutic. Instantaneous awakening from a deep 



30 General Paralysis. 

(hystero-paralytic) cataleptic stupor is not known. The 
suggestive therapy is, therefore, not to be applied to 
these cases, and Charcot's warning is also applicable to 
those cases. 

CONSIDERING SCRIPTURAL PARALYSIS more 
specifically we find the following of special interest : 

In St. Matthew, iv:24, we read that all sick people 
with diverse diseases and torments were presented to 
him, including some who were afflicted with palsy, and 
he cured them; and in St. Matthew, viii:5, etc., we are 
told of the centurion whose servant lay sick at Chapher- 
naum of the palsy, suffering, and was grievously tor- 
mented. St. Luke, vii:2, etc., reports that the servant 
of a certain centurion who was dear to him, being sick, 
and was ready to die, not mentioning that he was a suf- 
ferer of palsy, but undoubtedly was the same servant as 
that reported by St. Matthew, viii :5. St. John, iv: 46-48, 
reports that when Jesus came into Cana of Galilee there 
was a certain ruler whose son was sick at Chaphernaum, 
who prayed that Jesus come down and heal his son, for 
he was at the point of death, and that Jesus said to him : 
"Unless you see signs and wonders you believe not." St. 
John, iv:48. The ruler imploring Him to come down at 
once before his son die, counseled the ruler to "go his 
way, that his son liveth." The centurion, going down, 
met his servants, who reported that his son liveth, and 
upon inquiry discovered that the fever left him at the 
same hour when Jesus spoke the words commanding him 
to "go his way, that his son liveth." 

From the foregoing paragraph it will be seen that 
this was not a case of hysteria. In hysteria there is sel- 
dom danger of immediate death, and in hysteria you have 
not severe fever, and are not tormented with a fever to 
that point where there is danger of death. This would 



General Paralysis. 31 

rather indicate that it was a cerebral spinal affection 
(neuritis). From the esteem in which the servant was 
held by the centurion one would not come to the conclu- 
sion that he was a hysteric, for hysterics are not highly 
esteemed, especially not when they have gone so far in 
the progressiveness to become a paralytic. As a rule 
people have no sympathy for those who suffer with hys- 
teria, but rather accuse them of feigning, and to think of 
an officer or servant a hysteric to the point of death! 
We must at least admit that it seems most improbable. 
And, furthermore, such a patient could not be cured at 
a distance — first of all, not by one word, and especially 
not when he himself knew nothing of what was being 
done for him, and surely would not have been perma- 
nently cured. 

THREE EVANGELISTS tell us of the cure of an- 
other paralytic, and they do so with great accuracy: St. 
Matthew ix :2, St. Mark ii :3, and St. Luke v :18. We are 
informed that a sick man was brought to Jesus Christ 
suffering with palsy. They brought him lying in bed, 
and owing to the fact that the multitudes of people were 
so great they could not bring him in by the door they 
took him on the roof, which they uncovered, and let him 
down with his bed into the midst before Jesus, and when 
Jesus had seen their faith He said to the sick man of) 
the palsy, "Son, thy sins are forgiven thee." This riled 
the scribes and the Pharisees, and Jesus was accused of 
blaspheming, but when the sick man was told by Jesus 
to "arise, take up thy bed and walk into thy house," he( 
did so instantly, and there was no one to accuse the man 
that he was not a real paralytic. The scribes and Phar- 
isees were watching those proceedings with jealous eyes, 
and if they could have found any ground upon which to 
charge Jesus with deceit or fraud of any kind, or that 



32 General Paralysis. 

those patients were feigning, and were deceiving the 
people, the scribes and Pharisees would not have permit- 
ted this to pass without protest. There was nothing 
to indicate that there was hypnotism used, nothing in 
the form of medical therapy, no bathing or massaging; 
the sick man was not touched by Christ, simply the words 
spoken, "Arise, take up thy bed and walk into thy house, 
and immediately he arose, taking up his bed, went his 
way in sight of all," so that all wondered and glorified 
God, saying: "We never saw the like" Not gradually 
improving from hour to hour, from day to day, or week 
to week, but instantly, at the very moment the words 
were spoken. This to prove "that the Son of Man hath 
power on earth to forgive sins." St. Mark ii:10. Not 
that Jesus Christ came to this earth to take the place of 
the physician as a healer of the, sick of the body, but the 
sick of the soul. The evangelists tell us that those won- 
derful cures were performed for the special instruction 
of the scribes and Pharisees, and they would not allow 
themselves to be deceived, but would have reproved 
Jesus and accused Him of hypocrisy and fraud if it were 
possible. 

ADMITTING the texts as truth we must allow that 
He cured paralysis of various f crms, degrees and of every 
nature without a failure. He does not appear like a 
hypnotist, and from what has been said this would not 
have been prudent at that time ; neither does He present 
himself as a physician. 

St. Matthew, xv:30, tells us of the multitudes who 
came to Jesus in the mountains near the Sea of Galilee, 
"having with them the dumb, the blind and the lame, the 
maimed and many others who cast them before His feet, 



General Paralysis. 33 

and He healed them." And again in St. Matthew, 
xxi:14, we notice the reports that the blind and the lame 
(paralytics), who came to the temple, and there Jesus 
healed them ,not some of them, but "all were healed.") 
And in the message to St. John the Baptist, Jesus has 
the messengers "tell John that the blind see, the lame 
walk," etc. 

St. Matthew, vi:5, although he does not particular- 
ize, we may be sure that amongst them were paralytics 
who were suffering from ordinarily incurable organic 
paralysis, caused from lesions of the brain, spine, caries 
of the bones, tuberculosis of the joints, etc., etc.; also of 
congenital paralysis, atrophy of the muscles, etc. For 
Christ sends the message to St. John in the positive 
mood: "The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are 
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have 
the gospel preaxhed to them." 



The Scriptural Blind 

In a physiological sense of view, and the purpose in 
the present discussion, those are blind whose power to 
see is so reduced that man is deprived of the sense of 
sight to such an extent that he cannot see to follow any or 
all avocations in life requiring the sense of sight. And 
from history we notice that at the time of Christ and His 
apostles the definition of blindness in the human was as 
it is in our days. 

Then we may classify the blind into those who ac- 
quire blindness from the effects of disease or injury; 
those who were born blind, or who were born with the 
organs of sight absent, and those whose organs of sight 
are so deformed that sight is all or partially absent, but 
by proper medical or surgical aid can be corrected. 

It is claimed that about one-half of all the blind (one- 
third to two-thirds in various countries) are due to 
(blennorrhoea neonatorum), contamination at birth with 
the blemorrhoeic excretions from the genital tract of the 
mother with the eyes of the new-born. The prophylaxis 
at the apostolic times was not known to the Jews, which 
may account for much of the then existing disease. 

ATROPHY of the optic nerve is a frequent cause of 
blindness, which may be of peripheral or central (spinal 
or cerebral) origin. Glaucoma, retinitis, choroiditis, 
iritis, injury and infectious diseases, embolism of the cen- 
tral artery of the retina, spinal diseases, especially loco- 
motor ataxia, and anything that causes neuritis, or pres- 
sure on any part of the nerve, and it may arise as an in- 
dependent affection, though many of the cases that seem 
to be of this class are but those of its occurrence as a pre- 



The Scriptural Blind. 35 

monitory symptom of sclerosis, which, years later, may 
involve the central nervous system; and lastly, blindness 
may be congenital malformation. 

Statistics show that about 20 per cent of all blindness 
will not yield to therapy or prophylaxis of any kind, while 
approximately with our present advanced medical and 
surgical science 75 per cent may be prevented. 

Blindness due to ophthalmia retinitis, retrobulbar 
neuritis, ophthalmic tumor, typhoid fever, diphtheria and 
congenital deformity of the optic nerve are not rem- 
edial (cataract excepted). 

BLINDNESS due to constitutional diseases are ap- 
proximately: Cerebral 46 per cent, spinal 12 per cent 
and infectious 25 per cent. 

The cases of blindness that are curable in our ad- 
vanced age of medical and surgical science are : 

1. Cataract— An able specialist will cure selected 
cases surgically and with marked success. This mode of 
treating cataract, however, is of modern time. In the 
Middle Ages there was some idea of an operative pro- 
cedure, termed reclination (turning the lense over on its 
back), for the cure of cataract, which was a scientific 
failure. Cataract due to gonorrhea is not curable even 
with all our advanced science. 

2. Partial blindness, and such that is due to inter- 
stitial keratitis, offers to early and judicious treatment 
comparatively good prognosis. 

3. Vascular Keratitis — Vascular inflammation of 
the cornea offers more or less favorable prognosis under 
judicious and appropriate treatment, but even then it is 
obstinate and protractive. Recurrences are frequent, 
tending to permanent opacity and impairment of sight. 



38 The Scriptural Blind. 

4. Interstitial Keratitis — This is a chronic malady, 
which is seen chiefly or perhaps exclusively in the sub- 
jects of inherited syphilis, in cases which have been neg- 
lected or aggravated by irritants in their early stages, 
and in which the phenomena of ordinary vascular ker- 
atitis becomes grafted upon the interstitial there will be 
permanent disturbance of sight (blindness), and early 
surgical treatment (iridectomy) is the only hope for re- 
lief, and a very cautious opinion should be given with re- 
gard to the benefit which may be hoped for from the op- 
eration. 

5. Suppurative Keratitis — Suppurative inflamma- 
tion or abscess of the cornea seems to be essentially a 
phlegmon or boil of the corneal tissue, a portion of which 
dies and is cast off in the form of a slough. Treatment 
is, at the proper time, operative, to evacuate the pus, etc., 
etc. The corneal tissue once destroyed by ulceration is 
not reproduced in its original transparency, but only as a 
more or less opaque white cicatrix, which is both disfigur- 
ing to appearance and an impediment to vision. The 
first effect of the healing of a corneal ulcer is to flatten 
the natural curvature of the membrane, but the second ef- 
fect, if the cicatrix becomes prominent, may be to modify 
this curvature in various ways. Hence even when a 
cicatrix of the cornea is surrounded by still transparent 
annulus, behind which an artificial pupil may be made by 
excision of a portion of the iris, the surgeon cannot 
predict with any certainty, however, as to the quality of 
the vision which will be obtained, unless he is able, before 
operation, to determine the state of the corneal curvature, 
and after all a very cautious opinion should be given with 
regard to the benefit which may be hoped for from the 
operation. 



The Scriptural Blind. 37 

SCLEROSIS of the optic nerve may, if discovered 
early and by operative treatment, be delayed or even pre- 
vented from becoming complete by the administration of 
the proper remedies; but ordinarily the atrophy, due to 
sclerosis, scarcely admits of treatment, and blindness 
once complete sight is never restored. 

RETINAL HEMORRHAGE, which may be attended 
by very different circumstances, and present widely dif- 
ferent characters, if single, that is, when the blood pro- 
ceeds from one of the larger veins of the retina, which 
yields a considerable quantity, is immediately under the 
limiting membrane, and usually spreads over the fundus 
as a red patch of uniform color and aspect, and vision 
is suddenly and sometimes totally obscured. At this 
time, and when the health is not seriously affected, a 
favorable prognosis may be given with some confidence, 
for the blood will before long be absorbed, and restora- 
tion of vision, at least in a considerable degree, may be 
expected. 

A form of venous hemorrhage which at first seems 
less formidable, because it is by a smaller degree of im- 
mediate interference with sight, but which calls for a less 
favorable prognosis, is that in which the hemorrhages are 
multiple, often singly of small size, and scattered over 
the whole fundus of the eye. Such multiple hemorrhages 
are very slowly absorbed, and have a tendency to recur, 
so that they must always be regarded as placing the sight 
in jeopardy. 

EMBOLISM of the central artery of the retina, or 
of one of its branches, is a condition of not infrequent 
occurrence. When sudden blindness of one eye occurs in 
a person who is the subject of a valvular disease of the 
heart the diagnosis can scarcely be doubted, but the 
ophthalmoscopic appearance will suffice to remove doubt 



38 The Scriptural Blind. 

if it should exist. In rare cases when the embolus af- 
fects a very small artery the vision is not much affected, 
but such cases are among the curiosities of ophthalmol- 
ogy, and complete and permanent loss of sight of the af- 
fected eye is the result which must always be anticipated. 

PIGMENTARY RETINITIS appears to be a true 
inflammation of the retina, or of the immediate subja- 
cent choroid, differing from the foregoing affection in that 
it attacks the sensory elements instead of the fibric- 
layer or the connective tissue of the membrane. The 
subjects of the pigmentary retinitis are of all ages, from 
9 or 10 years to 70, and in some instances the duration 
of the disease has been as much as twenty years from 
the first appearance of the symptoms to their ultimate 
termination in blindness. As a rule, however, the pa- 
tients are young adults, or persons not past middle age. 
The remarkable feature of pigmentary retinitis is that 
it almost invariably attacks more than one member of a 
family, and it has been said to be especially frequent in 
the offspring of marriages of consanguinity. 

GLAUCOMA — In its modern signification this word 
is applied to denote all the conditions produced by mor- 
bid increase in tension within the eye — that is to say, 
by an excess of its contained fluids, and the different 
forms of the affection are mainly due to differences in 
the rate at which the tension is increased. Modern 
treatment in true glaucoma is entirely surgical. By 
medical treatment some cases undergo a partial or tem- 
porary amendment, but vision never rises to the degree 
of acuteness which existed prior to the attack, and the 
amendment is never more than temporary. Another in- 
crease of tension soon occurs, and without surgical aid 
blindness sooner or later closes the scene. 



The Scriptural Blind. 39 

TOXIC AMBLYOPIA— Toxic central neuritis is a 
form of gradual failure of vision which first affects 
chiefly the central portions of the retina, and which ap- 
pears to depend upon a chronic neuritis attacking origi- 
nally the portion of the optic nerve-trunk, which con- 
tains the fibres destined for the region of the macula 
lutia. This affection is often connected with the ex- 
cessive use of the stronger forms of tobacco, as well as 
with the abuse of ardent spirits, or with both of these 
conditions in combination. It is characterized by im- 
pairment of sight, and also of color-sense. A very care- 
ful prognosis should be given in the first instance ; but, if 
improvement once commences, the case will usually 
terminate in recovery. 

Diseases of the choroid are almost limited to certain 
chronic forms of inflammation and of atrophy. 

Diffused chronic choroiditis is more frequently an 
affection of adult age, and although very frequently 
syphilitic is not invariably so. The prognosis may in 
general be moderately favorable. 

RETINITIS due to or following ordinary disease 
(nephritis, diabetes, etc.), even after the sight has been 
seriously impaired, the prognosis need not be absolutely 
bad; but it will require very careful treatment for 
months, and the therapy and skill for the successful 
treatment is of modern attainment. 

ARTERIOSCLEROSIS, thrombosis and emboli 
cause atrophy of the optic nerve, followed by permanent 
blindness. Neuritis and cerebral tumors, which cause 
atrophy of the optic nerve, offer no more favorable prog- 
nosis. 

ATROPHY of the optic nerve following disease of 
the spinal cord (especially tabes dorsallis), neuritis and 



40 The Scriptural Blind. 

dementia paralytica offer absolutely unfavorable prog- 
nosis. The affected eye will be irremediably blind. 

Recently there was considerable hope for relief by 
Radium Rays, but this for the present time has proven 
a failure. 

From the foregoing we have good reason to pre- 
sume that amongst the Hebrews incurable blindness, 
due to blennorrhea, was much more prevalent than in 
our time, on account of the deficient prophylaxis and 
therapy. 

In 1818 there were more than 5,000 Incurable blind 
invalids amongst the English army, due to trachoma 
(generally designated as the Egyptian disease of the 
eye). It is more than likely that this disease, which 
calls for innumerable victims in the Orient, even at this 
time, had in ancient times extended its devastation to 
the Hebrew people. A cure is only possible in the be- 
ginning of the disease, before there is any symptom of 
the loss of vision. 

We will, therefore, not go amiss when we say that 
at the time when Christ and the apostles were amongst 
the Hebrews the number of incurable blind were greater 
than in our age. 

CONCERNING INJURIES due to accidents we 
must admit that they are more frequent in our advanced 
industrial area than in the primitive times. On the 
other hand it is equally true that many afflicted with 
foreign bodies are now saved, which in primitive ages 
were permanently lost. But after inflammatory changes 
caused by such foreign bodies in the eye has caused 
blindness even our advanced skill is in most cases un- 
availing. 



The Scriptural Blind. 41 

REMOVING of foreign bodies from the eye being 
a skill of modern acquirement, we have no reason to pre- 
sume that the statistics will favor antiquity with regard 
to blindness caused by foreign bodies in the eyes. 

A CURIOUS FORM OF AMAUROSIS occurs in 
connection with hysteria, where blindness is sometimes 
simulated by those who desire to escape distasteful duties 
(malingering) . 

Visual amnesia is where one sees an object, but 
does not recognize it. The production of those defects 
are due to disease in different parts of the brain. 

It is doubtful or rather improbable that the He- 
brews in the time of Christ would recognize either of 
these as blindness. 

IN ANCIENT TIMES amaurosis was denned as that 
blindness in which the external appearance of the eye 
seemed perfect, and in which the patient nor the physi- 
cian could discover a defect in the lense or cornea, but 
since Helmholtz has furnished us with the ophthalmo- 
scope ophthalmology has made great progress, and only 
after that period did we become masters of early diagno- 
sis in such cases. 

AMAUROSIS HYSTERICA, or hysterical blind- 
ness, is usually transitory, after a paroxism, and is not 
the only symptom. According to Janet hysteric amauro- 
sis is essentially due to disturbed attention, and others 
consider it as a psychic vision, an illusion, psychic blind- 
ness (therefore no physical or optical derangement at 
all). 

OBSERVING one who uses both eyes In a normal 
manner, and at the same time feigns blindness, would 
not have been called blind by the laymen, much less by 
the physicians and lawyers. 



42 The ScripturalBlind. 

There are those who will not read for years, claim- 
ing they cannot see, while at the same time in other re- 
spects their vision is normal when they are not ob- 
served, or when they forget themselves they see well. 
They do not see because they do not want to see. 

IN HYSTERIC BLINDNESS, as in hysteric paral- 
ysis, the cure of one or the other symptom signifies very 
little. The prognosis of hysteric amaurosis is unfa- 
vorable. 

Reviewing the healing of the two blind men related 
to us by the apostle, St. Matthew, ix : 27-30, we find that 
two blind men followed Jesus. This, however, does not 
bring us to the conclusion that those men were not to- 
tally blind, nor that they were hysterics. The blind men 
traveled their accustomed ways, and at that time followed 
the noise and bustle of the passing multitudes. The 
healing was done by touching the eyes, and by the words 
spoken by Jesus: "According to your faith be it done 
to you/' and their eyes were opened, and they went out 
and spread His fame. 

The question might be, was it ptosis? Ptosis is 
due to deficiency of the muscle itself, paralysis of the 
branch of the oculomotor nerve supplying it, or the 
presence of an accumulation of fat or some new growth 
in the lid of the eye. In the latter case it may be treated 
by the removal of the mass that prevents the movements 
of the lid, and when due to paralysis of either muscle or 
nervous origin it is in some cases worth while to bring 
the lid under control of the frontal muscle by excising 
a piece of the skin of the lid, or by connecting the centre 
of the lid with the brow by subcutaneous cicatrix; sec- 
ondly, by the use of suture, all of which requires skill and 
time. This procedure, however, is modern acquired skill, 
and was not in use in the time of the apostles. And, fur- 



The Scriptural Blind. 43 

thermore, ptosis is only a symptom of more serious paral- 
ysis, and cannot be removed by the mere touch of a finger. 
Concerning the fact that Jesus demanded of them faith 
in His ability to heal them shall have attention further 
on. That, according to St. Matthew, xi:5, the message 
sent to John that "the blind see," was for the purpose 
of confirming the Messaic mission of Christ is apparent, 
and the specification of healing the sick cannot be inter- 
preted as figurative except by force. Chapter xv:30 
simply mentions that the blind were brought to Jesus 
and cast down at His feet and He healed them. 

The two blind men at Jericho, one of whom is men- 
tioned by name, Bartimeus, who, when they heard that 
Jesus of Nazareth was coming to pass by, called to Him 
for mercy, and after Jesus touched their eyes they imme- 
diately received their sight and followed Him. St. Luke 
explicitly states that "Jesus commanded that the blind 
man be brought to Him." He does not say that Jesus 
touched the eyes of the blind man, but simply narrates 
the words of Christ : "Receive thy sight, thy faith hath 
made thee whole," and immediately he saw and followed 
him in the way, glorifying God, and all the people when 
they saw it gave praise to God. There is nothing said of 
demanding faith in Him. 

The description of the man would justify the im- 
pression that the blind beggar was a generally well 
known personage on the highways of Jericho. St. Mat- 
thew xx :29, St. Mark x :46, and St. Luke xviii :35. 

In the temple at Jerusalem, St. Matthew xxi: 14-15, 
we read of the blind and the lame which were healed by 
Jesus, and the chief priests and scribes seeing the won- 
derful things that he did, and the children crying in the 
temple, praising the Lord, the priests and scribes were 



44 The Scriptural Blind. 

moved with indignation at the crying children, but no 
attempt was made by them to discredit or deny the won- 
derful cures. 

St. John ix:l-7, etc., records in detail that Jesus 
healed a man born blind, and Jesus seems to make this a 
test case, as it were, a historic case. Not only does He 
take the disciples to task, but also the Pharisees. His 
disciples testify that the man was born blind, and wish 
to know the cause thereof. Christ tells them that neither 
has the blind man "sinned nor his parents" hence is not 
a manifestation of sin (see second and third verses), but 
on him, the blind man, a wonder is to be wrought, to 
prove "the works of God, which should be made manifest 
in Him" through Jesus, before the people, to prove that 
He is the Messias! (See also fourth and fifth verses 
same chapter). The application of spittle mixed with 
clay, which He spread on the blind man's eyes, and fur- 
thermore bade him "go wash in the pool of Siloam" had 
of itself no particular influence on the cure, being en- 
tirely arbitrary with Jesus Christ. "He went and 
washed and came back seeing;" and the neighbors won- 
dered and the Pharisees began to investigate, and when 
the man would not deny Christ, and answered them and 
said that "herein is a wonderful thing" that they did not 
know from whence he is, and that he had opened his eyes, 
and when the people said : "From the beginning of the 
world it has not been learned that any man hath opened 
the eyes of one born blind. Unless this man were of God 
he could not do anything." The Pharisees in their rage, 
in spite of all the evidence, said to him: "Thou wast 
wholly born in sins," and cast him out of the synagogue 
(30-34, same chapter). This case it may be said on the 
part of Scriptural proof: Deformity and disease is not 
at all times a manifestation of sin, and on the other hand 



The Scriptural Blind. 45 

that the cures and wonders wrought by Jesus had pri- 
marily for their object, to verify His Messianic mission 
upon earth; and, secondly, to relieve suffering (3 and 4 
same chapter). 

The sentence, 32nd verse : "From the beginning of 
the world it hath not been heard that any man hath 
opened the eyes of one born blind," i. e., gave a man born 
blind his sight, was by the Jews implicitly accepted. 

St. Luke, vii:21, states that: "In that same hour 
Jesus cured many of their diseases and hurts, and to 
many that were blind He gave sight." See also cure of 
blind man. Markviii:22. 

It is hardly probable that amongst those that were 
cured of blindness at this particular occasion there were 
any who became blind from leprosy, because they would 
have been of an advanced stage of leprosy, and such were 
not permitted to come amongst other people. 

In conclusion, the following comments may be ob- 
served : 

There is no hysteric blindness traceable from birth 
to adult life. This occurs as a rule in puberty, and be- 
tween the ages of 15 to 30 years ; very rarely in childhood. 
The female sex is much more prone to the affection then 
the male ; in fact, many years ago hysteria was supposed 
to be the result of disease of the uterine appendages, and 
consequently a disease confined exclusively to women; 
but it is now known, thanks to the labors of Prof. Charcot 
and his pupils, Sequin, Walton, J. J. Putnam, Page, and 
many others, that it occurs frequently in men and young 
children, and those of children take on various and uncer- 
tain forms, and the prognosis in the latter is most favor- 
able. The hysterical blind are almost exclusively con- 
fined to young female patients, and are very rare. The 



46 The Scriptural Blind. 

blind born referred to in Holy Scripture, however, was a 
man ! There were no hospitals at that time for invalids, 
which in our days, as we are well aware, has augmented 
the number of (traumatic) hysterics amongst men con- 
siderably, and we need not be accused of charging simu- 
lation, either. 

The hysteric blind would hardly be found sitting at 
the highways begging. They usually understand how to 
attract sympathy and support now, as well as in former 
years. It would be most unreasonable that the innumer- 
able blind amongst the Hebrews, who called on or were 
brought to Christ for assistance, were all of the (rela- 
tively very rare) cases of hysterical blind; besides the 
demeanor of those who were cured was not characteristic 
of hysteria. Unquestionably hysterics endeavor to be 
treated by prominent men, not for the purpose, however, 
to be speedily cured, but to be treated by them, treated 
for as many ailments as possible, and they fairly feast on 
their diseases. 

Spittle, clay and washing in a pool would not suit 
such cases at all; and, after all, Jesus did not pay any 
more attention to them. Really hysterics would, in all 
probability, have been seized with syncope and became 
worse than they were before, and might again have be- 
come blind. 

A hysteric seldom tries to please the physician, so 
that he may demonstrate his skill and success. They do 
not like to be one of the many who are cured, and will 
not allow themselves to be suddenly healed, much less 
would they consent to be cured by the score at a time, 
and if a single symptom would be cured would that be 
permanent? Would that, after all, really signify an im- 
provement? or, would it not, most probably, be followed 



The Scriptural Blind. 47 

by some other manifestation or new complaint? No 
physician can give a safe prognosis. Here, again, Char- 
cot's warnings are in place. 

It is therefore insufficient to declare that the Scrip- 
tural reports border on fraud, inasmuch that those were 
selected cases, because to discredit them we would have 
to go further. We must reproach the apostles directly of 
deceit, and to prove this would not be required of the 
physician. It may be presumed that one or the other 
of them were due to acute disease, or accidental injury, 
admitting that this is probable, in either case the healing 
of those patients would retain their remarkable charac- 
ter. 



The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb 

Deaf-Mutism ; Inclusive of Those 
Who Were Possessed 

In taking deaf -mutism and those who were possessed 
of an evil spirit as reported in Holy Scripture it must be 
done with regard for our present knowledge and ad- 
vanced medical science compared with that of ancient 
times. 

DEAF-MUTISM is the lack or loss of speech due to 
congenital or acquired deafness, which may be of congen- 
ital or acquired origin. In congenital deaf-mutism the 
precise condition to which it is due cannot be determined. 

This subject presents an opportunity of the theory 
of reversion as affecting types of degeneracy. It may 
be owing to lack of development in some part of the or- 
gan of hearing, deformities of the f enestrae of the laby- 
rinth, hydrocephalus, or pathological changes in the 
course or origin of the acoustic nerve. The acquired 
form may be due to middle-ear sclerosis, merosis of laby- 
rinth, and auditory neuritis meningitis, or cerebritis. 
The tympanic and labyrinthal cavities may be entirely ob- 
literated by connective-tissue and osseous proliferation. 
If the hearing is lost under the fifth year there is with 
rare exception no speech, because it has usually not been 
acquired, while speech which has already been acquired 
later in life may be more or less perfectly retained after 
hearing is lost. However, it is many times observed 
that even in deaf-mute infants the primitive words 
"mama" and "papa" only are uttered. It is known that 
dumbness has followed the loss of hearing after speech 
was acquired. 



The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 49 

THE ABILITY TO ARTICULATE words gradually 
declined, until nothing more than mumbling and mouth- 
ing of unintelligible sounds remained. In about 50 per 
cent of deaf-mutes the semi-circular canals are affected, 
which accounts for their peculiar, straddling gait, the 
feet wide apart, and for their inability to stand with their 
eyes closed, and especially on one foot. 

THE TERM DEAF-MUTISM seems to have origi- 
nated in the United States within the last sixty years. 
The synonym generally employed in England and is still 
frequently used in this country is deaf and dumb. Deaf- 
mute is preferable. The former tends to perpetuate the 
error that deafness and dumbness are two distinct phys- 
ical defects. 

If the loss of hearing occurs in adult life they usually 
escape the improper classification with deaf-mutes above 
referred to, but if it happens in childhood so that they 
cannot be educated in the usual manner; they must be 
sent to special schools to escape the consequent mutism. 

In 1848 Schmaltz made a summary of twenty Euro- 
pean schools for mutes or deaf-mutes, in which reports he 
compiled 3,982 cases, of which 2,810, or 705 in 1,000 were 
cengenital, and 1,172, or 295 in 1,000 were advantitious ; 
and in 1880 Hartman reports the same twenty schools 
cited above ; and the district of Nassau, Cologne and Mag- 
denburg compiles 2,644 cases, of which 1,285, or 486 in 
1,000 were congenital, and 1,359, or 514 in 1,000 were ad- 
vantitious. This change is perhaps to be attributed to 
the increased prevalence during recent years of both in 
Europe and in America of some of the diseases often re- 
sulting in deafness, especially cerebral menengitis, per- 
haps also to the skill of physicians in these later days in 
the treatment of scarlet, typhoid and other fevers, en- 
abling them to save the lives of their patients in more 



50 The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 

cases than formerly. The life is saved, but often from 
the neglect of proper precaution against exposure after 
the physician's attendance has been discontinued the 
hearing is lost. 

DEAFNESS in the majority of the adventitious 
cases is a sequel to diseases of the tympanum, middle ear 
or eustachian tube, it may, however, be due to disease of 
the auditory nerve, its nucleus or its cortical centre, and 
these may be due to accidental injuries to the head, and 
when once totally deaf are incurable. 

In complete congenital deafness the prognosis is bad, 
although there are a very few reports of gradual sponta- 
neous improvement going on for years. The prognosis 
of adventitious cases, after they have become totally 
deaf, is bad, and is even less promising. 

We have other forms of mutism which is in no way 
connected with deafness. We observe them caused from 
numerous organic nerve diseases. 

APHASIA — A failure of word memory — the name 
given to a defect of speech from cerebral disease. The 
patient is found to be unable to utter any proposition, 
though his occasional distinct pronunciation of some one 
or two words shows that his speechless condition is not 
due to mere difficulty in the more mechanical act of artic- 
ulation. Moreover, the patient's intelligent manner and 
gestures may plainly show that he understands what is 
said, and is capable of thinking, even though he is quite 
unable to give expression to his thoughts. This kind of 
powerlessness as regards speech is most frequently en- 
countered in persons suffering from right hemiplegia, 
though it is occasionally met with in those who are para- 
lyzed on the left side, and at other times in persons who 
are not hemiplegic at all. The aphasiac condition is not 
always as it ought to be, clearly distinguished from that 



The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 51 

of another group of cases which may be encountered in 
association with some amount of hemiplegia or independ- 
ently, and to which the name of amnesia is given. The 
cases of this latter defect lie in the fact that the patient's 
speech is defective, because of his inability to recall 
proper words for the expression of his thoughts or 
wishes; and he very frequently substitutes the wrong 
words, as when speaking oi his hat he calls it a brush, or 
pen a knife. 

When occurring in association with hemiplegia, 
aphasia varies much in intensity according to the degree 
of general mental impairment with which it may be com- 
bined. The patient's power of writing is necessarily in- 
terfered with when aphasia, as is so often the case, co- 
exists with the right hemiplegia. Many such patients, 
however, learn to write, to a variable extent. There are re- 
ports of patients who were quite unable to express them- 
selves in spoken words, or even utter a single articulate 
sound, who would write a good letter with no or very few 
mistakes (aphemia) ; on the other hand, the performance 
of an aphasic patient, without a copy before him, may be, 
and most commonly is, limited to writing his own name. 
The disability spoken of above as aphemia may be com- 
plete, and then the patient is absolutely speechless. But 
incomplete or aphemic defects exist in many degrees of 
completeness. These terms are now often applied to de- 
fects in the power of articulation, the mere mechanical 
part of speech, in which difficulties exist such as go with 
disease in the bulb or the pons, or slight defects in utter- 
ance, constituting mere thickness of speech. Aphasia oc- 
casionally supervenes, independently of paralysis or con- 
vulsions in individuals who have been subjected to great 
excitement or prolonged overwork, when it may be due, 
perhaps, to mere functional derangements. Where apha- 



52 The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 

sia is a temporary condition in association with right- 
sided convulsions, or where it is lasting and co-exists with 
right-sided paralysis, the treatment of the aphasic con- 
dition becomes merged in that of the associated con- 
vulsive tendency or paralytic condition, since, 
as a rule, an amelioration takes place in the 
patient's power of speaking coincidentally with his im- 
provement in other respects. This, however, is not al- 
ways the case where aphasia has co-existed with partial 
hemiplegic conditions. The paralysis may be recovered 
from, while the aphasic defect may remain more or less 
as it was. Where this is the case an attempt should be 
made to teach the patient to speak again, especially if the 
defect be of the aphemic type. Such efforts have occa- 
sionally been crowned with success, but much judgment 
and untiring patience have to be called into play in order 
to obtain satisfactory results. 

Other disorders of voice and speech may be due to 
change in force, alterations in pitch, changes in quality by 
injury, or disease of muscles of the larynx, glottis, vocal 
cords, etc. And in complete loss of the musical voice 
"Aphonia" occurs where the cords cannot meet. Among 
the conditions which will prevent the approximation of 
the cords and cause aphonia are paralysis or paresis of 
the adductor muscles, on whatever cause it may depend ; 
fixation of the cords by cicatricial contraction or by 
ankylosis of the crico-arytanoid joints, their destruction 
by ulceration ; any painful affection which makes the pa- 
tient unconsciously rest them, or coating with false mem- 
brane, but by far the most frequent cause of this aphonia 
is the abrogation or perversion of the will, occurring in 
the morbid mental condition of hysteria or other nervous 
disease. Perfect power of phonation existing, but the 
patient for months or years declining to exercise the 



The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 53 

power, or make the necessary effort. The intimate rela- 
tions of the voice to the higher functions of the brain 
would lead us to expect that it would be influenced by the 
emotions. Thus we have a person hoarse with rage, 
speechless with terror, etc., etc. ; and the origin of these 
cases of nervous aphonia is frequently some sudden emo- 
tion, causing loss of control over the voice. The treat- 
ment depends upon the constitutional state; also the 
prognosis depends upon the cause. Aphonia caused from 
central lesions, however, offer a bad prognosis. Hysteric 
aphonia, in this connection, deserves special considera- 
tion, because this is the only form of aphonia in which 
we may look for sudden onset, or sudden disappearance, 
without sufficient physical symptoms by which we can 
recognize the cause of the organic or other lesion which 
brings on the aphonia. In this, as in former cases de- 
pendent upon hysteric phenomena, we need not expect 
either spontaneous or suggestive cures, and any physician 
who would dare to use such cases to demonstrate his skill 
or success would fall woefully by the wayside, and we 
must not leave out the fact that this also refers to hyste- 
ric aphonia. 

Hysteric deafness will offer the same result. No 
physician can rely on any certainty in those cases, no 
matter how plausible the apparent cure or pretended 
cure may be, they will sooner or later reappear in one or 
another form. We must differentiate hysteric aphonia 
from that of the business man's neurosis, those of the 
teachers, speakers, singers, etc. We here have fatigue, 
which simply requires rest, but such would hardly be pro- 
nounced mutes by any ordinary layman. It is claimed by 
some authors that complete muteness of hysterics is due 
to the fact that they cannot speak, and by others that the 
muteness is due to the loss of will power, or rather the 



54 The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 

loss of the impulse to will power. The clinical aspect of 
hysteric mutism does not differ from that of hysteric pa- 
ralysis in various other forms and symptoms quoted 
above. 

In all cases we have an unaccountable manifestation 
of disappearance and reappearance of symptoms, appre- 
ciable cause or therapeutic means of relief, and no phy- 
sician is safe in prognosticating such cases or giving any 
reliable promise for the future outcome of the case, and 
no suggestive therapy will cure, or permanently affect 
hysteric aphasia. If in one or the other case the physi- 
cian seems to be successful he still cannot, after all, feel 
safe that the improvement is permanent, or whether or 
not it will reappear in some other symptom worse than 
before. The suggestive therapy in many instances tends 
to and does influence hysterics, on account of their greed- 
iness to be treated, and desire for sympathy, go so far 
as to employ the most cunning and roguish trick on their 
physician, and this is due simply to aphasia paranoica — 
stubborn and willful silence. Many cases of mutism due 
to congenital deformity in the advanced state of therapy 
of our day are amenable to operative measures, offering 
more or less improvement. The same may be said of 
mutism due to accidental injury to the vocal organs. 

In considering mutism of the insane we disregard 
the organic lesions referred to in the foregoing as a cause 
for the symptoms. 

APHELEXIA, dementia paralytica, a stupor with 
the acute motionless condition, resembling quiet, restful 
sleep, or which remind one in condition of approaching 
death, would remind the observer of a state of paralysis, 
rather than that of muteness, because the patient will of- 
ten make slight effort to answer stated questions. This 
condition is generally continued for days or months, with 



The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 55 

uncertain but often favorable issue. Ordinarily he will 
awake and at times with impulsive outbursts of anger, 
fighting and striking or abusing those who may be around 
him, all of which is ample proof that his mutism and 
paraylsis are circumstantial conditions. The same 
may be said of the catatonic stupor, including 
that of the so-called melancholia attonita, which 
will at times by paroxysms of agitation be 
interrupted, and are ample to do away with all il- 
lusions to paralysis and mutism. By the general beha- 
vior of the patient (the negative disposition included), 
the impression of mutism will vanish. However, the con- 
dition of melancholic stupor may be such that deafness, 
muteness and paralysis may for a time be suspended. On 
the other hand the general condition or behavior of the 
perilous state of the patient is mostly such that those ob- 
serving him receive the impression of one who is un- 
doubtedly insane. In stupor we have a psycho-motor 
disturbance, a checking or restraining which will not 
yield to momentary cure, and most of all not to suggestive 
cure. Perhaps one who is in an insane stupor can, by 
energetic call, be aroused from the paroxysm, which has 
positively nothing to do with a cure. The same holds 
good in catalepsy. Catatonic mutism, which may be con- 
sidered as being a lesion of the vocal organism, may be 
classed with that of the above paragraph, and as to the 
suggestive therapy, the same result may be relied upon. 
All therapeutic treatment is doubtful, and at best only 
partially favorable, generally passing to complete mental 
and physical decay. The mutism of epileptics is transi- 
tory; melancholia and convulsions are the pre-eminent 
causes. 

Mutism and defective speech due to insanity and de- 
cay is not misconstrued. The patient does not talk, be- 



56 The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 

cause he has nothing to say. The utterance of syste- 
matic and insane ideas by the (paranoic) insane, does not 
indicate disorder of speech, as the patient, notwithstand- 
ing those insane ideas, will find words and knows how to 
arrange and utter them so as to express their ideas, 
wishes, etc. Those patients speak wrong because they 
are incapable to think right ; they speak insanely because 
they are insane, and cannot think right. At least the 
wandering speech of those patients will leave no doubt 
of the psychopathic character, and we can therefore 
safely exclude the last named from the deaf and dumb 
narrated by the apostles, even if we should be inclined to 
elaborate on the comprehension of mutism being com- 
mingled with that of speech disturbance. Not for the 
purpose of introducing a therapeutic system, or a new 
theory and practice of healing the sick did Christ work 
those miracles, but His primary reason was to prove to 
the world that He was the promised redeemer of man- 
kind, did He in a wonderful manner heal the blind, the 
dumb, the lame, the leper, etc. St. Matthew, xi:5. He 
also mentions that the dumb were brought and cast be- 
fore His feet and they, with the others of the sick, 
maimed, etc., were healed, and no mention is made of a 
distinction, whether congenital, acquired or of what 
character or degree the mutes were we are simply in- 
formed by the apostle that great multitudes came, hav- 
ing with them their sick, dumb, etc., and that Christ 
healed them — of course all of them. 

St. Mark, vii: 32-35, relates a case where a man deaf 
and dumb was brought to Jesus, who, "taking the man 
from the multitude apart," He put His finger into his ears, 
and spitting He touched his tongue, saying, "be thou 
opened, and immediately his ears were opened and the 
strings on his tongue were loosed and he spoke right" 



The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 57 

St. Matthew, ix:32, narrates a case of a dumb man who 
was possessed with a devil. St. Luke, xi :14, tells us that 
Jesus cast out a devil and the same was dumb, but the 
evangelists agree that after driving out the devil the 
dumb spoke, and that the multitudes wondered, saying, 
"never was the like seen in Israel.'' 

The fact, however, that not all of the dumb were 
considered possessed we may infer from St. Matthew, 
ix:32, and others, which would justify the question: 
"Why was it said that this man was possessed of a devil?" 
The simplest explanation may be, so as to make a record 
of the fact that not all deaf and dumb were possessed, and 
again that he was violent and had spasms, or was a ma- 
niac of a vicious form, and was really different from oth- 
ers, all of which, when considered with the hysterical 
proposition, is immaterial. 

The evangelists simply state that Christ "cast out the 
devil, after which the dumb man spoke." This would 
indicate that this man's case was of a different charac- 
ter than others. But, be it granted for the sake of ar- 
gument, that he possessed of a devil was simply a mute, 
and that there was nothing extraordinary about the 
case. We are then confronted with the extraordinary 
praising that Jesus received at the hands of the Jews, and 
of the comprehension of the people at that time. If it 
were not remarkable they would not have given our 
Lord the extraordinary praise, and there would have 
been no reason for the learned Pharisees to say that "He 
cast the devil out by Beelsebub, the prince of the devils." 

In St. Mark, xii:32, we have an account of a deaf 
and dumb man being healed, but no mention is made con- 
cerning this man possessing a devil, and he speaks of 
nothing that would indicate complications of any kind. 

St. Matthew xv tells of the dumb, the blind, maimed 



58 The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 

and other sick which were brought to Jesus and were 
healed, and speaks of no distinction in the manner of 
treating them, and of no complications or difficulties 
with the patients. He tells us not a word of spasms or 
insanity amongst those brought to Jesus to be healed; 
neither does he refer to this deaf and dumb man in par- 
ticular as being afflicted with such a complication. We 
have already elaborately referred to the fact that the 
medical profession in general has not recorded a true 
case of hysteric deaf-mutism, and at farthest admit that 
if there are, or were any, they are very rare and obscure. 
It is a fact that hysteric mutism is almost without ex- 
ception transitory and unilateral. This alone should suf- 
fice to quiet any supposition that the evangelistic deaf- 
mutes might have had hysteria. How remarkable it 
would seem that just at this time such a hysteric would 
have presented himself to Jesus, and at this accidental 
meeting ; and that the cure would have followed suggest- 
ive treatment, and, furthermore, that this very rare case 
would respond to the suggestive treatment; also that it 
would not in due time return with a recurrence of the 
disease or with some other and more serious symptom. 
We, therefore, must admit that if we would object to the 
suggestive theory in the former cases there can be* no 
validity to that claim here. Three of the apostles men- 
tion a case of somnambulism which is of more than ordi- 
nary interest — that of a boy brought to the apostles by 
his father, who told them of his illness, and how the 
boy walked in his sleep, and often fell in water, and in 
the fire, and how he foamed at the mouth, and that this 
was from his infancy altogether. This undoubtedly was 
a case of epilepsy, inasmuch as the large majority of 
cases develop in childhood, and considering the case from 
the more minute description given by the three apostles it 



The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 59 

was a case of epileptic mutism, and is related as follows 
by St. Mathhew, xvii:14: "There came a man falling 
down on his knees before Jesus, saying: ( Lord, have 
pity on my son, for he is a lunatic, and suffereth much; 
for he falleth often into the fire, and into the water/ and 
after an admonition Jesus commanded the boy be brought 
to him, and after rebuking him the devil went out of 
him, and the child was cured from that hour." 

St. Mark, ix :16-, tells it in this manner : One of the 
multitude said to Jesus: "Master, I have brought my 
son to Thee, having a dumb spirit," etc., and when he had 
seen him immediately the spirit troubled him, and being 
thrown down upon the ground he rolled about and foam- 
ing, and He asked his father, "how long time is it since 
this hath happened unto him? But, he said: From 
his infancy; and often times hath cast him into the fire 
and into waters to destroy him, but if Thou canst do any- 
thing, help us, having compassion on us;" and Jesus 
saith to him : "If thou canst believe, all things are pos- 
sible to him that believeth," and immediately the father 
of the boy, crying out with tears, said: "I do believe, 
Lord; help my unbelief." Jesus threatened the unclean 
spirit, saying to him: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I com- 
mand thee to go out of him and enter not any more into 
him. And crying out, and greatly tearing him, he went 
out of him, and he became as dead, so that many said: 
He is dead. But Jesus taking him by the hand lifted 
him up and he arose." 

And St. Luke, ix: 38-39, tells of a man who called to 
our Lord, saying: "A spirit seizeth him, and throweth 
him down and teareth him so that he foameth, and bruis- 
ing him, he hardly departeh from him." 

Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and cured the boy, 
and returned him to his father. The description of this 



60 The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 

case is the most elaborate and minute of any we come 
across, and from it we would unhestitatingly pronounce 
this to have been a case of epilepsy from infancy. A 
child who is thrown into spasms as is here described, 
from his infancy, is unquestionably a subject suffering 
from epileptic deaf -mutism. St. Luke speaks of the cry 
which preceded his fall, and the words spoken by Christ, 
"deaf and dumb spirit," would leave no doubt of his deaf- 
mutism, and confirms the diagnosis. The remarks of 
Christ (St. Matthew, xvii:20) : "But this kind is not 
cast out but through prayer and fasting," would indi- 
cate that there were cases of epilepsy which were less dif- 
ficult to cure, or were not ordinarily incurable cases, 
probably having in mind those which were due to ex- 
cesses in life, such as alcoholism, etc. This case has also 
been attacked by those who claim it to be due to hysteria, 
but this can only be done in an effort to disapprove Di- 
vine power, or rather scorn the Divine power of such 
cases, and consequently insinuate that this was not really 
an epileptic deaf-mute. A boy would not be afflicted 
with hysteria from infancy, the severity of which would 
throw him into fire and into the water and in danger of 
death. 

Hysteria is not of the acute nature which was mani- 
fested in this case. A hysteric does not exhibit his seiz- 
ure except at a convenient place, preferably in bed, and 
they make sure to reach such a place in due time for the 
spell (speaking of those who are simulants). They are 
careful not to bruise or endanger themselves in any way, 
unless it be for the purpose of demonstration that they 
should receive sympathy. On the other hand, the epilep- 
tic wears his scars due to injury which he received from 
the falls and ravings during the seizures, the cause of 
which are only known to him by presumption or from 



The Scriptural Deaf and Dumb. 61 

what is told him by others. When we consider the se- 
verity of the spells that befell this boy as related by St. 
Mark, ix:17: "Wheresoever he taketh him dasheth 
him, and foameth and knasheth with the teeth, and pineth 
away/' would certainly again refer only to epileptic seiz- 
ures. The apostle distinctly states that the boy was 
cured, and to conclude that he was simply relieved of one 
of his spells would not have been considered by the Jews 
as of great moment. But to heal, yes, to cure, a case of 
epileptic deaf -mutism of the severity there narrated, at 
the simple command by word, and without appreciable 
mechanical or medical means, simply by the words, "/ 
command thee to go out of him, and enter no more into 
him" St. Mark, ix :24) , is immediately cured, means some- 
thing more than relief of one seizure, and it means more 
than that of our therapy, which, after months and years, 
we may have slight improvement or relief, with no assur- 
ance to ever be able to cure a patient, and therefore the 
conclusion would be that this boy was a congenital epi- 
leptic deaf-mute, and the cure was extraordinary, and 
should we attempt to hold to the theory that this boy had 
hysteric epileptiform seizures it would seem a willful 
denial of the true nature of the case, an attempt to sub- 
vert the extraordinary character of the cure. 

St. Matthew, xii:22, speaks of another case of a 
deaf-mute who was also blind, and also was possessed 
with a devil, probably another epileptic or epileptic-ma- 
niac, although nothing is said about this complication. 
He was healed by Christ, and he spoke and saw, that the 
multitudes were amazed. The fact that the Pharisees 
did all they could to ridicule the Divine authority and 
power of Christ so much more confirms the remarkable 
cures. 



Those Who are Quoted as Possessed 

(Mania and Demonomania.) 

Are referred to mainly by the three evangelists, St. 
Mathew, St. Luke and St. Mark. We find that some of 
the quotations are without particulars, and therefore we 
are referred to analogous quotations for our diagnosis, 
which, in this instance, will not offer disputable difficul- 
ties, and result in proper merit. St. Matthew, iv: 23-24, 
quotes the instance where Jesus healed all manner of 
sickness while going through Syria ; that they presented 
"sick people of divers diseases and torments, and such 
that were possessed by devils, and lunatics, and they were 
cured." The same apostle (viii:16), states that when 
He came down from the mountains at Caphernaum there 
were many brought to Him possessed with devils, and He 
cast out the spirit "with His word/' and "all that were 
sick were healed" St. Mark, i:32-34, adds that they 
brought "all the sick and those that were possessed, and 
all the city was gathered at the door, and many were 
healed of divers diseases, and He cast out many devils, 
and Christ forbade the devils which He drove out to 
speak, because they kneiv him." The same evangelist 
and same chapter, 39th verse, tells of our Lord preach- 
ing in the various synagogues throughout Galilee, casting 
out devils. In this report, however, we are not fur- 
nished with particulars. This also holds good with re- 
gard to St. Luke, vii:21, but St. Luke, iv:40-41, tells us 
that "all that had any sick with divers diseases brought 
them to Him, and Jesus laying His hands on every one of 
them healed them," and devils went out from many, cry- 



Those Who Are Quoted as Possessed. 63 

ing out and saying, "Thou art the Son of God!" St. 
Mark, iii:9-12, reports that they should have a small 
ship ready, because the multitudes were so pressing upon 
Him to touch Him to be healed that he feared they would 
crush Him, and the unclean spirits, when they saw Him, 
fell down before Him, and cried, saying, "Thou are the 
Son of God." And here Christ strictly charged them 
again that they should not make Him known. 

That the theory of hypnotism or suggestion should 
suggest itself to many cannot be without favor, especially 
when we consider the possessed as brought before Jesus, 
and the number here quoted would indicate that 
some might come to the conclusion that there was an epi- 
demic of hysteric mania. Undoubtedly this would ap- 
pear to many, at first thought, but when the whole pro- 
cedure is more closely considered with all the surround- 
ings and circumstances connected with them as reported 
by the evangelists with the "various and many sick" 
that were presented to him, and were in the same manner 
healed, without distinction, and instantly; and, further- 
more, when it is taken in consideration that all of this 
was done in the presence of a multitude of people, and 
that the scribes and Pharisees, then the learned men of 
that country and day, were closely watching every move 
of our Lord, in order to be enabled, if possible, to entrap 
Him in some manner or other in a fraudulent act of de- 
ceiving His hearers, and nothing having been discovered 
by those men, would seem ample evidence that all this 
was more than ordinary; and, furthemore, this should 
convince any reasonable student beyond all doubt that 
no hypnotic procedure, even in our advanced stage of 
science, could be so cleverly carried out even to simulate 
to heal, or even check hysteric mania, not singly, and 
much less en masse, leaving out a permanent cure. We 



64 Those Who Are Quoted as Possessed. 

may, therefore, unhesitatingly dispel the hysteric and 
mania theory, as well as the hypnotic and suggestive 
feature. We may admit that there are epidemics of 
hysteric mania (there have been some reported), but to 
cure them is not without much concern at best. The 
treatment of such patients is not undertaken en masse. 
The first thing to do is separation — isolate them in 
such a way that they can be cared for, everyone accord- 
ing to their condition. No sudden recoveries have been 
recorded. Even in the more advanced stage of our medi- 
cal science and skill, and under ordinary circumstances a 
cure of such patients en masse on the street would be 
impossible. If those who would insist upon the theory 
that the Biblical possessed were nothing more or less 
than hysteric maniacs they must admit that it is at leasi 
singularly striking that they should be brought to Christ, 
amongst others, who were afflicted with "all manner of 
sickness, deformities, blind, deaf-mutes, paralytics," etc., 
and that all were cured without distinction in the manner 
of treatment or after treatment, and after all it would be 
remarkable superiority over our advanced state of medi- 
cal science and skill that would even check the hysteric 
maniacs by the scores by simply speaking a few words 
with instant relief, even if it were only for the time ; but 
the cures cited by the evangelists must be considered per- 
manent, otherwise the scribes and Pharisees would cer- 
tainly have had their envious desires to in some way 
nullify Christ's reputation, gratified by proving to the 
Jews that He was an imposter. This was their sole de- 
sire, for we find other quotations that the scribes and 
Pharisees did this, and were not content with the in- 
ability to find true charges against the genuineness of 
the cures, and do not deny them. Neither do they claim 
fraud or deceit, but go outside of truth, and ordinary 



Those Who Are Quoted as Possessed. 65 

proof, and use sympathetic means, by insinuations and 
by accusing our Lord that He performs those cures 
through the finger of "Beelsebub, the prince of the 
devils." This indicates the acute desire to keep the peo- 
ple from believing in the miraculous cures, and if those 
men had any means by which they could disprove the 
cures wrought by Christ they would have left no stone 
unturned to gain that end. And if we should attempt to 
prove that it was delusional mania we meet with the 
further difficulty and ask: Was Christ a deceiver, or 
was He deceived by those brought to Him to be healed? 
including the multitudes who brought and witnessed the 
performance of the wonderful cures. Both theories 
would be most contradictory to His messianic character, 
and without solution of the therapeutic question. We 
have reports of epidemic hysteric mania, but this is also 
disproved by the fact that more of the cases presented 
themselves as possessed, as would be natural if such were 
the case, and, furthermore, such epidemics are only re- 
ported as having occurred in prisons, schools and con- 
vents, which is not in evidence here. We notice three 
cases that are of more than passing interest for our con- 
sideration with this chapter. They are more minutely 
described than usual, and each one by several of the apos- 
tles. St. Mark, i:23-28, reports that there was a man 
in the synagogue with an unclean spirit who testified and 
acknowledged the supremacy of Christ that, pursuant to 
Christ's conjuration, the unclean spirit would torment 
the patient, and would leave the man crying. The same 
apostle then tells of the astonishment of the people who 
were present, and that they were amazed, inasmuch that 
they questioned among themselves, saying: "What 
thing is this? for with what powers He commandeth even 
the unclean spirits, and they obey him?" (Mind, they 



66 Those Who Are Quoted as Possessed. 

obey His words of command!) And Christ's fame was 
spread into "all parts of Galilee" The simple dispelling 
of the insane excitement would not likely have brought 
forth such commotion. We must therefore assume no 
other than the manifestation of radical cures, and here 
let us make an assertion that the duration of insane ex- 
citement is not ordinarily controlled by the physician, 
even in our day of advanced therapeutics. Finally St. 
Luke, iv:33, reports the same case and instances most 
minutely, and corresponding with that oi St. Mark, and 
the commendations will hold good here. The second case 
presents the most striking refutation to the theories of 
suggestion or hypnotism. St. Matthew, xv:21, 
and St. Mark, vii:24, report the cure of the daughter 
at Chanaan, whose mother came down to the coast of 
Tyre, where Jesus was teaching, and after imploring Him 
for help, healed her from the distance, not with the aid of 
any therapeutic treatment, long prayer, demonstration 
or question of faith, but simply by the words: "Be it 
done to thee as thou will," and "from that hour" her 
daughter was cured. The daughter did not see Jesus, 
knew nothing of what was said or done. Hypnotism and 
suggestion are in this instance absolutely barred. All 
make-shifts and theories of accidentalities here present 
a dreary aspect. Where would you find a physician of 
repute who would venture to announce or prophesy to 
such a woman, and in the presence of many people, to 
go home, your daughter is well? 

And Christ in this, as in other cases, did not pretend 
to use any therapeutic means or pose as a physician. He 
gave no medicine, no instructions, no after treatment. 
He did not see the sick daughter. He healed her from 
where He then was, from great distance, and it is not un- 
derstood by what means, except that of Divine power, at 



Those Who Are Quoted as Possessed. 67 

His will. The theory that suggestive means were used 
through the mother borders on ridiculousness; and fur- 
thermore the insane are not cured, neither by suggestion 
nor hypnotism, more especially not at a distance, and 
first of all not permanently. We must, therefore, in this 
case, at least admit that there is no medical analogy. 

The third instance, which is of especial interest, is 
that of the stories of two afflicted who lived in sepulchres, 
and were very fierce, so that no one could pass that way, 
according to St. Matthew, viii:28. This would indicate 
that they were maniacs, who were dangerous, and had to 
be kept in solitary confinement, as is the case in our time. 
St. Luke, vii:26, speaks of only one man, evidently one 
of the two mentioned by St. Matthew ; that these men were 
no clothes, nor lived in a house, but in the sepulchres, 
and at times were bound in chains, was characteristic. 
St. Mark, v:i, also speaks of the one man who, when they 
came over the strait of the sea into the country of the 
Gerasens, they met a man who lived in the tombs and 
could not now "no more be bound with fetters nor chains; 
he had burst the fetterrs in pieces; and no man could 
tame him, and he always, day and night, was in the mon- 
uments, crying and cutting himself tvith stones." This 
man was evidently the most vicious, hence the most no- 
ticeable of the two. This would indicate that theye were 
violent maniacs, and leave no room for hysteria. Here, 
again, follows the complaint that Jesus should not tor- 
ment him, and, "Christ commanding, the spirit went out 
of the man, who was then healed," and we are told (St. 
Mark v:15), that they then came to Jesus and they "see 
him that was troubled tvith the devils sitting clothed and 
well in his wits," and after being told to publish his case, 
"all men wondered." St. Luke, viii:35-, tells of finding 
the man from whom the devils had departed "sitting at 



68 Those Who Are Quoted as Possessed. 

the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind." This 
was not accidental stupor that might be taken for a case 
of simulation that would conflict with the statements 
made by the apostles; the man was healed by the com- 
mand of Christ, and upon the command of Christ the 
healed man went home to his people at Decapolis, and 
published "how great things Jesus had done for him." 

The two evangelists, St. Mark v: 12-14, and St. Luke 
viii:32-, at this opportunity mention the particular cir- 
cumstances of the spiriits entering into a herd of swine, 
about 2,000 in number, which were then "carried head- 
long into the sea, and were stifled; and they that fed the 
sivine fled and told it in the city." This passage partic- 
ularly illustrates the Messianic mission of Christ, and 
has nothing in common with physical therapy, and is, 
therefore, no reason to hesitate to declare that this does 
not indicate the end of the medical profession. The 
woman afflicted for twelve years with an issue of blood, 
probably uterine hemorrhage (menorrhagia), which is 
singularly described, and the only one reported in Scrip- 
tural history, is of more than passing interest for our 
consideration. 

OTHER CASES OF INTEREST. 

St. Matthew, ix: 20-22, states the case as follows: 
"Behold a woman ivho was troubled with an issue of blood 
for twelve years, came behind Him and touched the hem 
of His garment, for she said within herself if I shall touch 
only His garment I shall be healed. Jesus turning and 
seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith 
hath made thee whole, and the woman was made whole 
from that hour." St. Mark, x:25, mentions that "this 
woman had suffered many things from many physicians," 



Other Cases of Interest. 69 

and spent all that she had, "and was nothing the better, 
but rather worse." The etiology in cases of this kind is 
usually hemorrhage from the submucosa of the uterus, 
due to various causes of inflammation, endometritis, 
usually chronic, there may be submucus growths, which 
cause most severe bleeding. This may terminate into 
fibroid tumors of the submucosa ; some of the most per- 
sistent hemorrhages are mucus fibroid and polypus. 
Uterine myomae are generally associated with excessive 
bleeding. We shall here pass the carinomic symptoms; 
the duration of twelve years would exclude malignancy. 

The treatment is removal of the cause, which gen- 
erally is operative, by removing the myoma or other infil- 
trations that cause those symptoms, which with our tech- 
nique and advanced therapy, skill and acepsis is without 
danger. Menorrhagia may be dependent upon psychic 
conditions, and under these circumstances it is reflex, and 
not due to pelvic disease. 

The chief causes are hysteria, various emotions, as 
fright, sorrow or fear, etc. Those disorders due to hys- 
teria, however, do not take on alarming symptoms, and 
do not continue for twelve years, and, furthermore, if due 
to hysteria, are not sudden and permanently cured. In 
this case, however, the symptoms do not indicate hyste- 
ria. The deportment of this woman, who does not wish 
to be known, and would prefer to be cured unnoticed by 
anyone, "If I only touch His garment I will be healed," 
would exclude the character and demeanor of a hysteric. 
If, then, we exclude hysteria, then we are up to another 
proposition. 

MYOMA, polypus and submucus bleeding of any 
kind do not yield to suggestive or hypnotic treatment, and 
we are therefore again directed to the former solution 
of the problem that this can be none other than a radi- 



70 Other Cases of Interest. 

cal healing by the Divine power of our Lord. He uses 
no medical nor physical therapy whatever, does not di- 
rect the patient, neither does He order her to rest or 
keep off her feet. He heals her by a power which ema- 
nates from Himself. "Be of good heart, daughter, thy 
faith hath made thee whole." Simply to notice her and 
speak these encouraging words heals this patient, truly 
for which to search in medical science would be futile. 
St. Luke, viii:44, writes of this woman that she came 
behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment, and 
"immediately the issue of her blood stopped." The same 
three apostles relate the circumstance of a man in the 
synagogue who had a withered hand. After consulting 
the scribes and Pharisees whether or not it was lawful 
to heal on the Sabbath, Jesus commanded him to "stretch 
forth" his hand, "and doing so it was restored to health," 
and even as the other hand. The Pharisees, as the apos- 
tles tell us, as in other instances so here, watched this 
with jealous eyes, seeing this, "the Pharisees going out 
immediately made a consult with the herodians against 
Him, how they might destroy Him." This, as in other 
instances, indicates that the Pharisees believed in the 
miraculous cures by Christ. (Quotations by St. Matthew 
xii :10-, St. Mark, iii :1- and St. Luke vi :6-.) This would 
be pronounced a case of paralytic atrophy, probably due 
to periphal atrophy of the spinal nerve or its ganglia in 
the anterior horn. It also may have been due to a neuri- 
tis, due to a form of leprosy. Atrophy which has taken 
on this form, and has existed to the extent that this was, 
to the extent of a withered hand, offers very bad prog- 
nosis, and would not be instantly healed by any human 
therapy, much less by suggestion or hypnotism, and as 
to the claim of hysteria suffice it that even in cases of 
long standing we have no perceptible atrophy of mus- 



Other Cases of Interest. 71 

cles, and the further fact that all of the cases quoted in 
Scripture concern men should almost in itself exclude 
hysteria. 

St. Matthew, viii:14, St. Mark, 1:29, and St. Luke, 
iv:38, report the illness of the mother-in-law of St. Peter. 
There are no particulars, but they say she was "lying and 
sick of a fever," and that Jesus touched her hand and the 
fever left her, and she arose and ministered to Jesus and 
those who came to the house with Him. We may here 
have room to reject the diagnosis of fever from hysteria. 
A hysteric is not often afflicted with fever. This fact 
is almst unanimously agreed by the profession in our day, 
and the fact that mothers usually diagnose fever quite 
accurately, although not possessed of a thermometer, we 
may safely grant that this lady had fever. On the other 
hand the apostles tell us she had "a great fever." Gen- 
eral experience confirms the fact that hysterics who sim- 
ulate fever do so by rubbing, etc. On the other hand 
the portrayal furnished by the apostles that "she got up 
ana ivaited on Jesus and those who came ivith Him" 
and her general demeanor does not simulate a hysteric. 
In all likelihood this was a case of infectious fever which 
was cured by the divine power of Jesus, otherwise the 
apostles would not have made this Scriptural history. 

At another time when Jesus was in the synagogue 
on a Sabbath with many people they found a woman 
there who was suffering with deformity for more than 
eighteen years and so crippled and bent that she could 
not look up, and when Jesus saw her commanded her to 
come to Him and said to her: "Woman, thou art deliv- 
ered from thy infirmities," and laying His hands upon 
her immediately she was made straight, and she glorified 
God. This time the ruler of the synagogue became an- 
gry because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and in- 



72 Other Cases of Interest 

formed the multitudes six days there are wherein work 
should be done, in them therefore come and be healed, 
and not on the Sabbath day. Again the acknowledg- 
ment by the officer and people. This affliction is not 
uncommon in our day. Arthritis-deformans (rheumatic 
arthritis), with consequent deformity, a chronic joint 
disease with overgrowth of articular cartiliges and syno- 
vial membranes, due to various causes, and are more or 
less amenable to medical therapeutics, the progress can be 
checked in many cases at this time of advanced medical 
skill, especially if bone tissue destruction or ankylosis has 
not taken place, after long and skillful treatment, includ- 
ing hygiene, and more especially so if taken in the early 
stage, and if the cause can be removed, but in cases 
which have gone on for years, and such that have pro- 
duced deformities by change of bone structures, the prog- 
nosis is extremely bad, and when we consider a case 
which has existed for eighteen years, where the pa- 
tient is so crippled and deformed that she cannot look up, 
treatment would be practically nill, even in our time, 
and we would not think of even slight improvement in a 
short time, but if improvement could be had would be 
considered remarkable. We can therefore only say that 
the cure as recorded by the evangelist is supernatural. 
Christ himself calls attention to the fact, replying to the 
foreman's criticisms of healing on a Sabbath day, 
"ought not a daughter of Abraham whom Satan hath 
bound lo these eighteen years be loosed from this bond 
on the Sabbath day?" And when He said these things 
all His adversaries were ashamed, and all the people re- 
joiced for "all the things that were gloriously done by 
Him." St. Luke, xiii:12-. All of which certainly indi- 
cates that this case at least does not simulate hysteria, 



Other Cases of Interest. 73 

or who would have the audacity to claim that hysteria 
was the cause of the deformity? 

St. Luke, xiv:2, reports that on another Sabbath 
day, when Jesus went into a house of one of the chiefs of 
the Pharisees to eat bread, there came a man suffering 
with dropsy ; "Jesus taking him, healed him, and sent him 
away." No medicine and no therapeutic means of any 
kind are exhibited, and no after treament, — nothing to 
indicate that He desired to rebuke the medical therapeu- 
tics of physicians, either. Dropsy, as is well known, is 
a symptom of disease, due to various causes, and may re- 
sult from certain chronic affections which bring about 
venous stasis, as diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys and 
lungs, local obstruction to the venous circulation by em- 
boli, thrombi tumor, etc. Changes in the composition of 
the blood, as in anaemia. Changes in the walls of the ca- 
pillaries, as in Bright's disease. Disturbed innervation, 
as in angioneurotic oedema, due to trophic or vaso-motor 
influences. Laymen ordinarily do not notice a man suf- 
fering with dropsy, unless it is of an advanced stage. 
Simple swelling of joints or eyelids would not be termed 
as suffering with dropsy; hence it must be a case which 
is noticeable by the distention of the abdomen, feet, 
hands, etc., and the difficult navigation, breathing, etc., 
and when a man is suffering from this disease, to the ex- 
tent that he is observed with compassion by the multi- 
tudes, his case is of an advanced state, and such that can- 
not be cured by the wink of an eye, or by any suggestive 
therapy, if that you wish to call it. Some patients 
even in an advanced state of dropsy are benefited by med- 
ical treatment, and at times they become quite well again ; 
but at best it is after hygienic and medical treatment for 
weeks or months with durietics, etc. 



7.4 Other Cases of Interest. 

Ascites may be reduced after much skillful treat- 
ment, that is, the fluid may be reduced, and improvement 
noticed, but the real cause often remains, and sooner or 
later will end in death of the patient. An instant cure, 
such as reported by the evangelist, is not known to the 
medical art. 

St. John v:2, relates the case of the man at the pool 
near Jerusalem who had been an invalid for the past 
thirty-eight years, and Jesus, when He saw him, took com- 
passion, knowing that he had laid there for a long time, 
said to him, "Wilt thou be made whole?" The invalid, 
answering Jesus, said: "Sir, I have no man, when the 
water is troubled, to put me into the pool, for whilst I am 
coming, another goeth down before me. Jesus then said 
to him: Arise, take up thy bed and walk: and imme- 
diately the man was made whole, and he took his bed and 
walked." 

This also took place On a Sabbath day, and again the 
Jews interfered, saying : "That it is not lawful for thee 
to take up thy bed on the Sabbath day, and the man who 
was healed answering, said : . He that made me whole who 
to me take up thy bed and walk" and afterwards Jesus 
met the man in the temple and said to him, sin no more 
lest some worse thing happen to thee. Again this case 
was well attested to by the Jews, for when they learned 
who had healed this man they persecuted Jesus. St. 
John v:4, tells us that an angel of the Lord descended at 
certain times into the pond, and the water was moved, 
and he went down first into the pond after the motion 
of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he 
lay under. It might be a question of interest to know 
whether or not the mysterious character, power and 
movement of the water in this pool continued after 
Christ's time on earth, or was it a prefiguration of Him, 



Other Cases of Interest. 75 

and after His mission on earth vanished. The myste- 
rious power given this water by the angel was altogether 
supernatural and beyond our comprehension. From the 
history and general character of this man we can safely 
conclude that he was a paralytic. The fact that he had 
suffered for nearly forty years with the same symptoms, 
and the way he stated his case to our Lord, would exclude 
insanity. He complained how he suffered and had no one 
to help him go to the pond in time to get into the water 
in time to get healed, and simply by the words, "Arise, 
take up thy bed and walk," after which he immediately 
was well. Christ frequently refers to His works and 
deeds at those times, and in this instance He makes use 
of the opportunity to remind the Jews of His divine mis- 
sion and power, and that He is the true Son of God. Here 
He tells them then, "My Father worketh until now, and I 
work." The Jews then sought the more to kill Him, be- 
cause He did not only break the Sabbath, but also said 
that God is His Father, making Him equal to God, where- 
upon Jesus answered and said : That "the son giveth to 
whom he will." Some have found it convenient to con- 
sider this as simply a figurative expression, but the Jews 
of those times evidently manifested a different view. 
They understood this in its literal sense, so much so that 
they designed ways and means by which they would be 
justified to kill Him; and in addition they are informed 
that Christ will give life "to whomsoever He will." St. 
John vi22. A man who is only a physician would 
make such announcements would be false to himself. This 
declaration might be so construed that he meant to tell 
those people he could heal those whom he wished and re- 
fuse if he chose, at his pleasure. Would this construc- 
tion have been accepted by the Jews? Any physician 
who would declare that he could heal any and all disease 



76 Other Cases of Interest. 

at his pleasure, and declare that he can do anything at 
his will, would be classed as a lunatic. Where is the phy- 
sician who cures all cases brought before him? Non est 
medico semper releventur est alger; interdum docta plus 
valeat arte malum. Not always can the physician suc- 
ceed in curing him who is sick ; at times the disease is be- 
yond the reach of art. — Ovid. The Hebrews at that 
time were not easily led, nor deceived. To the 
contrary, were they not very skeptic, and much disin- 
clined to allow these wonderful deeds to appear as reali- 
ties? They often express their surprise and say: "This 
man does things that never have been done before!" and 
again they accuse Him that He has a devil, because he 
rages. The comprehension that Christ healed according 
to His humor is not borne out by the Scriptural reports, 
and at no time do we learn of a failure. If, therefore, we 
would persist in the claim that Jesus was only a physi- 
cian and a healer, then we would admit that the Scriptural 
passages border on deception. But where is the physi- 
cian who lays claim to his ability to cure all diseases? 
Christ heals "all who apply to Him for assistance," direct- 
ly or indirectly, although at times placing them on proba- 
tion, as in the case of the mother from Chanaan. 

St. Mark, vi:2-5, may require especial explanation. 
The story here is how Christ was vexed by the people 
when He came near his home. On the Sabbath He began 
to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing Him were 
in admiration at His doctrine, saying: "How came this 
man by all these things ? and what wisdom is that that is 
given to Him, and such mighty works? Is this not the 
carpenter, the son of Mary? the brother of James, and 
Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? Are not also His sisters 
here with us? and they were scandalized in regard to 
Him." He cured only a few that were sick by laying His 



Other Cases of Interest. 11 

hands upon them. This may be accounted for in the first 
place, because there were not so many sick in the little 
home place, and this having been His home, and was 
known as the carpenter's son, and was so addressed by 
the gaping masses, and we are further told that Jesus 
said to them, "a prophet is not without honor except in 
his own country." He called the twelve, and sent them 
out two and two, with power over the unclean spirits, and 
going forth they preached that men should do penance, 
and they cast out devils and anointed with oil many that 
were sick, and healed them ; the same chapter, seventh 
and thirteenth verses. 

This chapter is of importance, inasmuch that it fur- 
nishes valuable support in the contention that the charac- 
ter of casting out evil spirits was not of a therapeutic 
nature and purpose, and sustains the claims that the mi- 
raculous healing of the blind, lame and demented has no 
therapeutical significance. The anointing of the sick 
with oil is likewise not of therapeutic signification in this 
instance, for we have no records of any physician who 
would claim that by anointing any one case of apprecia- 
ble illness was radically or instantly cured. 

Four of the apostles relate the circumstance how 
Christ healed the ear of one of the servants of the high 
priest on the night of His Passion. St. John xviii :10 tells 
us that Simon Peter, with a sword, struck the servant of 
the high priest "and cut off his right ear and the name of 
the servant was Malchus." St Luke xxii:51, mentions 
the fact that Jesus, "when He had touched his ear He 
healed him." We are aware of the fact that when an ear 
has been partially severed from the head, so that it hangs 
on a fragment, and if at once properly sutured to its place, 
auceptically and with exact coafsitation, it will grow on 



78 Other Cases of Interest. 

in due time. But, at best, it will require ten to fifteen 
days to get well. 

That Christ had used suture material or made use 
of any other therapeutical means is not borne out by 
Scripture. Simply, Jesus "touched his ear, He healed 
him." This means that he was perfectly healed. If we, 
therefore, consider these passages in a literal sense that 
Jesus healed the ear by the touch of His finger we again 
have an extraordinary example before us. 



Healing Patients in Groups 

We now would consider those passages of Scripture 
in which the healing of groups of sick took place, or 
rather where the apostles and evangelists mention that all 
who came or were brought to Christ were healed. 

St. Matthew, ix: 23-24, where it is said: "Jesus 
went about, all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, and 
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all man- 
ner of sickness, and every infirmity, among the people: 
And His fame went throughout all Syria, and they pre- 
sented to Him all sick people that were taken with divers 
diseases and torments, and such as were possessed by 
devils and lunatics, and those that had the palcy, and He 
cured them. ,f And the same apostle tells of one time 
when Jesus retired from the multitudes (St. Matthew 
xii:15), many followed Him and "He healed them all." 
Again, chapter xiv:14, and He coming forth saw a great 
multitude and had compassion on them, and "healed their 
sick." At an other time the same apostle tells in chap- 
ter xv :30, there came to him great multitudes having with 
them the dumb, the blind, the lame, maimed, and many- 
others, and they cast them down at His feet, and "He 
healed them": so that "the multitudes marvelled, seeing 
the dumb speak, the lame walk and the blind see." And 
chapter xix: 1-2, when Jesus came into the coast of 
Judea, beyond the Jordan, great multitudes followed 
Him, and "He healed them there." St. Luke vii : 21, re- 
ports that "He cured many of their diseases and hurts, 
and evil spirits, and to many that were blind He gave, 
sight," and He said to the messengers of St. John the 
Baptist: "Go and relate to John what you have heard 



80 Healing Patients in Groups. 

and seen: The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are 
made clean, the deaf hear, and the dead rise again, and to 
the poor the gospel is preached.'' And St. John, vi:2, 
tells of a great multitude who followed Him because they 
saw the miracles which He did on them that were dis- 
eased; and chapter vii:31, that of the people, many be- 
lieved Him, and said : "When the Christ cometh shall He 
do more miracles than these which this man doeth?" St. 
Matthew, viii :16, says : They brought to Him many that 
were possessed with devils "and He cast out the spirit 
with His word, and all that were sick He healed." (Mind, 
with His word.) And St. Matthew, xiv:36, "They be- 
sought Him that they might touch the hem of His gar- 
ments, and as many as touched Him were made whole." 
(Mind, simply by their touch of His garment they were 
made whole). St. Mark, i:32-34, "They brought to Him 
all that were ill and that were possessed with devils, and 
He healed many that were troubled with divers diseases, 
and He cast out many devils." St. Luke, vii:19, reports 
also that: "All the multitudes sought to touch Him, for 
virtue went from Him, and healed all." St. Mark, 
iii:10, states that He healed many, so that they pressed 
upon him for to touch Him, "os many as had devils." 
The unlikeliness that the cures of the multitudes should 
have been by means of suggestion, or that they were hys- 
terics, in the face of all the evidence to the contrary, 
should not be countenanced in the mind of the reader for 
one moment, or by intelligent and truth-seeking students, 
and more particularly those who would consider Scrip- 
ture as worthy evidence and truth. 

The various Scriptural passages relating to the va- 
rious diseases and their phases should at once dispel any 
simulance to epidemic hysteria ; and, again, we must not 
leave out of mind the fact that epidemic of hysteria do 



Healing Patients in Groups. 81 

not take place in parade on the public highways,and much 
less among the multitudes of people; and, furthermore, 
exclude any likeliness that in such they would be healed 
en masse. A hysteric invariably persists upon individ- 
uality, individual attention; that is his reason for going 
into hysteria, and hysteria cannot be healed by a simple 
touch of the finger of the physician, and much less by the 
patient touching the hem of a garment, or the command 
or pronouncement by him that she is well. Therefore we 
are again reminded of the extraordinary character of 
those cures. 



Scriptural Leprosy 

The history and nature of the disease, and the mirac- 
ulous cures, are of much interest and importance to the 
world now. The disease was one of the greatest of all 
calamities that could befall mankind at the time of Christ 
and the apostles. That it was the same malignant and 
dreaded disease which we know and have with us in our 
time is beyond dispute, and requires no further comment. 
And the leprosy which is mentioned by the evangelists, 
who tell us that Christ so miraculously cured, may, there- 
fore, be the vexatious question for us to consider in this 
chapter. We will, therefore, consider the modern au- 
thorities on this malady. The skill and success of the 
profession in our time and advanced therapeutics will un- 
doubtedly have some weight upon the importance of this 
chapter. We must pay due respect to those would-be 
modern writers (authors), who claim that the cases re- 
ported in the New Testament as being cured were not 
cases of genuine leprosy, but were called, by the Greek 
writers, elephantiasis. For argument's sake, for the 
present, grant they were geunine elephantiasis! That 
the malady was the same grave, malignant and dangerous 
disease as we know it, is not denied, then what would they 
gain? It seems that those who would in this manner 
seek to disparage Christ and His apostles should at least 
be, to some extent, familiar with the disease which they 
use for comparison. The latest authorities who write 
on elephantiasis do not give them much encouragement. 
Professor George Henry Fox, A. M. M. D., of New York, 
and Prof. Dr. Franz Mracek, of Vienna, both professors 



Healing Patients in Groups. 83 

of dermatology and authors, do not picture this disease 
as one which is of no consequence. 

Professor Fox says that the cause of elephantiasis is 
uncertain. It is neither contagious nor hereditary, and 
usually occurs in middle life. The dark-skinned races, 
and particularly those living in malarial regions near the 
seacoast, seem most liable to be attacked by the disease. 
Like leprosy, it has been ascribed to a fish diet, but with- 
out convincing proof of this origin. 

In the treatment of elephantiasis much can be done 
in the early stage to relieve the inflammatory symptoms. 
But cases are rarely seen in this country (also in othrr 
countries), until the characteristic hypertrophy has de- 
veloped through repeated erysipelatous attacks. The 
filaria sanguinis hominis could hardly be killed by ordi- 
nary suggestion. The early removal of the patient from 
the country where the disease is endemic, is generally fol- 
lowed by improvement, and sometimes a cure, which is 
not authenticated by scientists, however. When the hy- 
pertrophy is great the inflammatory exacerbation some- 
times continues to recur in spite of a change of residence. 
As in leprosy, the change of climate is the first and per- 
haps the most important point to consider in the way of 
treatment. Most authors seem to agree that if the case 
comes under treatment in the first months of its develop- 
ment the process may (probably, only) be checked or 
held in abeyance. When well established rarely more 
than palliation is possible. Now, there you have a fair 
illustration of the etiology and prognosis of elephantiasis. 
The latest authors, in our advanced therapeutic skill, 
know the disease, which the would-be modern writers 
would quote to confound the reader of Holy Scripture. 

LEPROSY AS IT AFFECTS THE RACES AT 
THE PRESENT TIME— The Teutonic race, if we except 



84 Scriptural Leprosy. 

the Norwegians, are free from leprosy, both in Europe 
and North America, and the Latin races, whether they 
reside in Europe or in South America, are the afflicted 
races. The whole Indo-European family has, however, 
at one time or other been leprous, although at the present 
day the disease is traveling westward, but still continues 
in the East, especially in Persia and India. The disease 
among the Mongolians is confined mostly to Japan, South- 
ern China and places apparently infected from these 
sources. It may be laid down as a general rule that lep- 
ers increase in numbers as the equator is approached 
from either pole, although isolated cases may occur in 
any country of Europe and other parts of this continent. 
It is not proven that leprosy is diffused by hereditary 
transmission. There is no leprous physiognomy or 
physical trait to be noticed in the children of lepers ; and 
when children are brought up (or suckled) by leprous 
mothers, contagion cannot be excluded. The parasite ap- 
pertaining to leprosy may be demonstrated in the lymph 
expressed from a leprous patch, the discharge from a lep- 
rous ulcer, and in sections of leprous tissue. The etiology 
of leprosy appears to have become more definite since 
the discovery of the bacillus of leprosy by Hansen in 1874. 
The incubation of leprosy is very indefinitely known, 
even at this age. There is recent clinical and experi- 
mental evidence whereby an approximate conclusion 
might be arrived at concerning the incubation period of 
leprosy. In the past three to fifteen years have been 
suggested. Taking three years as the shortest period, 
would explain how, disallowing heredity, leprosy is not 
met with in children of lepers until the third year. Ac- 
cording to Hoegh as many as twenty-seven years have 
been passed between the time of presumed exposure and 
the invasion of the disease. Only 10 per cent of all the 



Scriptural Leprosy. 85 

lepers are descendants from leprous parents. Leprosy is 
usually divided into two varieties, but for convenience we 
shall divide it into three varieties: the tubercular, the 
macular and the anaesthetic. Many cases can be readily 
classed in one of these divisions. Others are mixed and 
present characteristics of each variety. 

In tubercular leprosy spots of erethema appear on 
the body. They soon become pigmented and hyperaes- 
thetic, and develop into tubercles, varying in size from a 
pea to a walnut. The face, extremities and genitals are 
the parts most commonly affected, but occasionally the 
mucous membrane, especially of the nose and throat, are 
involved. Ultimately the tubercles may break down and 
leave superficial indolent ulcers. In some cases a bulbous 
eruption appears from time to time. The hair, eyebrows 
and eyelids fall out, the eyes become inflamed, the fea- 
tures distorted and voice husky. The disease may last 
many years, death finally resulting from exhaustion or 
some intercurrent disease. In the anaesthetic form of 
leprosy the peripheral nerves are involved by the bacillus 
leprae. The outbreak may be preceded by numbness, 
itching or lancinating pains. These symptoms are fol- 
lowed by the appearance of distorted spots, which are at 
first associated with hyperaesthesia, but later more or 
less anaesthesia develops. The skin and its appendages 
atrophy, the bones undergo necrosis and the phalanges 
drop off one by one. In some cases (lepra alba) , the skin 
is not only anaesthetic, but distinctly white. Finally, 
when the nerves are more or less destroyed, paralysis 
results. The duration is many years. 

The macular form of leprosy may be associated with 
either of those already described, or appear with no tu- 
bercles, and but a slight amount of anaesthesia. The 
macules may be preceded by a loss of sensation, but are 



86 Scriptural Leprosy. 

sometimes hyperaesthetic at the beginning and gradually 
lose their sensibility. They are rounded or oval, of a 
dull reddish or brownish hue, and tend to whiten in the 
center, leaving a narrow band at the border of the patch, 
which is somewhat elevated. The whole patch may be 
slightly purpurnacious. The face, trunk or extremities 
may be the seat of these patches. Upon the back they 
may coalesce and spread in a serpiginous manner. Bac- 
teriologic experiments are of little avail, except on hu- 
man subjects, because the animals usually employed for 
such experimenting are immune to the lepra bacillus, 
and we are therefore at a disadvantage. Leprosy is a 
specific disease, the result of infection by the bacillus 
lepra, running a chronic course and tending to fatal is- 
sue, and its presence is characterized by granutomatous 
infiltration of the skin and mucous membrane of certain 
nerve-trunks, and of the viscera, inducing functional ir- 
regularities and trophic changes in the affected parts. 

THE PROGNOSIS OF LEPROSY is serious, though 
not necessarily fatal. The common belief, founded on 
the statement of many authoritative writers, that leprosy 
is an incurable disease, is not in accordance with facts. 
Leprosy probably can be and has been cured, and would 
be cured in many cases if the patients were not given to 
understand that their condition is hopeless and incurable ; 
and last, but not least, proper treatment should be ex- 
tended them, which in the main depends on prophylactic 
measures. Dietetic and hygienic measures are of the 
greatest importance, and, after all, this, as in some other 
diseases, if not more so, requires a long time and skillful 
treatment for months and years, and is given to no hu- 
man genius or skill to cure instantaneously. That lep- 
rosy was well known by the ancients is evident from 
Scripture, and needs no further comment at our hands. 



Scriptural Leprosy. 87 

Probably the most striking account in ancient history as 
to diagnostication and treatment of leprosy, including the 
manner in which it was ordered to be carried on, hygiene, 
separation of the patients, etc., we find most minutely re- 
corded in Leviticus xiii:2-: "The man in whose skin or 
flesh shall arise a different color, or a blister, or as it were 
something shining, that is the stroke of the leprosy, shall 
be brought to Aaron, the priest, or any one of his 
sons. And if he see leprosy in his skin, and the hair\ 
turned white, and the place where the leprosy appear eth 
lower than the skin and the rest of the flesh, it is the 
stroke of the leprosy, and upon his judgment he shall be 
separated. But if there be a shining whiteness in the 
skin, and not lower than 'the other flesh, and the hair be 
of the former color, the priest shall shut him up seven 
days. And the seventh day he shall look on him; and if 
the leprosy be grown no further, and hath not spread it- 
self in the skin, he shall shut him up again another seven 
days. And on the seventh day he shall look on him, and 
if the leprosy be somewhat obscure, and not spread in the 
skin, he shall declare him clean, because it is but a scab; 
and the man shall wash his clothes, and shall be clean. 
But if the leprosy grow again, after he was seen by the 
priest and restored to cleanness, he shall be brought to 
him, and shall be condemned of uncleanness. If the 
stroke of the leprosy be in a man, he shall be brought to 
the priest, and he shall vieiv him. And when there shall 
be a white color in the skin, and it shall have changed the 
look of the hair, and the living flesh itself shall appear : 
It shall be judged an inveterate leprosy, and grown into 
the skin. The priest therefore shall declare him unclean, 
and shall not shut him up, because he is evidently unclean. 
But if the leprosy spring out, running about in the skin, 
and cover all the skin from the head to the feet, whatso- 



88 Scriptural Leprosy. 

ever falleth under the sight of the eyes, the priest shall 
view him, and shall judge that the leprosy which he hath 
is very clean; because it is all turned into whiteness, and 
therefore the man shall be clean. But when the live flesh 
shall appear in him, then by the judgment of the priest he 
shall be defiled, and shall be reckoned among the unclean. 
For live flesh, if it be spotted with leprosy, is unclean. 
And if again it be turned into whiteness, and cover all the 
man, the priest shall view him, and shall judge him to be 
clean. When also there has been an ulcer in the flesh 
and the skin, and it hath been healed, and in place of the 
ulcer, there appeareth a white scar, or somewhat red, the 
man shall be brought to the priest. And when he shall 
see the place of the leprosy lower than the other flesh, 
and the hair turned white, he shall declare him unclean; 
for the plague of leprosy is broken out in the ulcer. But 
if the hair be of the former color, and the scar comeivhat 
obscure, and be not lower than the flesh that is near it, he 
shall shut him up seven days. And if it spread, he shall 
judge him to have the leprosy. But if it stay in its place, 
it is but the scar of an ulcer, and the man shall be clean. 
The flesh also and skin that hath been burnt, and after it 
is healed hath a white or a red scar." Verses 25 to 28 
describe this further to differentiate from the ulcer of a 
burn. Here for want of space we omit part of the Scrip- 
tural instruction and simply call attention to the remain- 
der of the chapter in which is minutely described the 
mode of wearing clothes by the lepers and the form and 
manner of disinfection after recovery: "And these are 
to be destroyed by fire with whatsoever they are in con- 
tact." And Leviticus, xiv chapter, provides how the 
leper who is healed of leprosy is to undergo a course of 
cleansing, washing and shaving the hair of the whole 
body. And he is to live in a hut, not in the hut that he 



Scriptural Leprosy. 89 

used before he was healed, but a clean hut, for seven days, 
when again he shall shave and clean, after having washed 
his clothes a second time ; then on the eighth day he may 
go to the tabernacle to make offerings. And we notice 
the precaution to prevent further contagion and infection, 
thereby exemplifying that they knew how to observe 
hygienic pophrylaxis in those times ; and even in our ad- 
vanced age and skill, in the main, we have but little to 
add to their regulations as to hygiene and isolation than 
they practiced in those times, considering our means. At 
least they made use of the fundamental parts. Allowing 
that there were from time to time spontaneous cures of 
leprosy, and others that were cured by therapeutic means, 
as may well be inferred from the foregoing passages, af- 
ter early and long periods of treatment, others may have 
been of a mild form, or even of doubtful diagnosis, as may 
be taken from these passages of Holy Writ, in which the 
diagnosis of malignancy was doubtful. But there was 
no doubt of the incurability of advanced cases — cases 
which were gangrenous and deep, where caries of the 
bones had taken place. Where the phalanges dropped off, 
where the eyes, ears, nose, etc., were destroyed, human 
aid and skill was not known to heal them; and further- 
more, at this stage, no physician even with our advanced 
medical and surgical skill, claims to be able to cure such 
cases, or even materially check the progress. A cure is 
practically impossible. And that the Hebrews knew and 
were capable of diagnosing, and knew that leprosy at this 
stage was incurable by any therapeutic means, is further 
demonstrated in 4 Kings, v:4-7. Naaman, general of the 
army 01 the King of Syria, went to his Lord and told Him 
what was said of the land of Israel. Whereupon "the 
King of Syria commanded him to go." And he went and 
brought a letter from his king stating that he might cure 



90 Scriptural Leprosy. 

his servant of leprosy, and when the king of Israel had 
read the letter "he rent his garments," and said: "Am 
I God, to be able to kill and give life, that this man hath 
sent to me, to heal a man of his leprosy? ' Hence, only 
by a miracle it was then that leprosy was cured. True, 
we are more able to handle leprosy than the Israelites 
were in primitive ages. We know a great deal more 
about the malady, but we can do very little more in ad- 
vanced cases; and we would in our day give vent to our 
astonishment if leprosy was instantly cured by a man, 
and would exclaim: "Who is that man, that physician 
who can do so much more than has been done in all these 
years'?" The question of leprosy was viewed with such 
aisagreeableness by the Israelites that the last thing to 
be entertained should be that any person should be ac- 
cused of simulating leprosy, or to claim hysterical leprosy. 
The symptoms enumerated and described to justify the 
priests to declare one a leper, and that such a person had 
to be isolated from other people, were objective, and did 
not depend on pain, spasms, etc. The extreme precaution 
that was prescribed by the old law (Leviticus, xiii), and 
exercised by the priests, in prophylaxis and hygiene, and 
the instruction to the lay people, permit of no doubt that 
the cases quoted in Scripture were leprosy. The Israel- 
ites, and more especially their priests, know lepra; and 
should we admit that the diagnosis at times in the early 
stages was not always perfect, there would be no doubt in 
the more mature stage of the disease, wnen the ulcers, 
blindness, gangrene, caries, dropping off of the phalanges, 
etc., would take place. This opinion is concurred in by 
the medical authority. The priests had the authority 
when a patient was found with blisters, or a discoloration 
of the skin, or those who were suspected of leprosy, to 
shut them up for observation, to isolate such patients 



Scriptural Leprosy. 91 

from other people, until such time when the disease could 
be differentiated. But we have no reason to apprehend 
that, in the time of Christ, there was the slightest doubt 
of proper and correct diagnosis; otherwise the jealous 
and envious priests and Pharisees would certainly have 
done more than indignantly retreat, and plan ways and 
means by which they might destroy him. Christ's ther- 
apy does not only outstrip modern advanced skill, asepsis 
and antisepsis, but ignores them, and also of the prophy- 
laxis of the old law, as well as any special treatment, 
there is not the least sign. And, finally, after all, there 
has been very little progress made in the way of specifics 
for the treatment of leprosy. 

This should be so much more convincing to the peo- 
ple of this age, that the cures, as reported in the New 
Testament, were supernatural, and conclusive evidence 
(from what has been said) that they were performed for 
the purpose of proving (showing) to the people the Mes- 
sianic mission of Jesus Christ. 

St. Matthew, viii :l-4, St. Mark, i : 40-43, and St. Luke, 
v: 12-13, report the case of a leper, who, seeing Jesus, and 
falling on his face, besought Him, saying: "Lord, if 
thou wilt, thou canst make me clean; and Jesus stretched 
forth His hand and touched him, saying :. .1 tvill, be thou 
cleansed; and immediately the leprosy departed from 
him." Christ sent him to the priests to show himself 
and make his offering, as was commanded by the law of 
Moses. St. Luke, xvii: 12-14, reports the remarkable 
cure of the ten men that were lepers, "who stood afar off, 
and lifted up their voice, saying, Jesus, Master, have 
mercy on us," to whom Christ said, when He saw them : 
"Go, show yourselves to the priests, and as they ivent, 
they ivere made clean." Those were men who evidently 
were., declared., lepers., by ..the., priests, ..and 



92 Scriptural Leprosy. 

were near the city which Christ was about to enter, and 
were so diseased that they would not dare to come near, 
but cried "from afar off." The treatment of these men 
by Christ consisted in that He saw them and spoke to 
them the words: "Go, show yourselves to the priests," 
and as they went they became well. There is nothing 
said to indicate the severity of these cases ; but, evidently, 
they were so bad that they were judged lepers and were 
not permitted among other people ; but even if they had 
been of the mildest form, would they be healed by simply 
being told to go and show themselves to the priests, by 
anything less than extraordinary power? The declara- 
tion that one affected with leprosy is healed, and that such 
a patient himself knows that all objective and subjective 
symptoms have disappeared, and that he feels well, in it- 
self was not sufficient to free him from isolation. It was 
only the priests who were endowed with that power, and 
to those priests, the enemies of Christ, they were sent to 
be viewed and released by them from the bondage of lep- 
rosy, and we find no record that they were refused their 
freedom, and the priests do not protest ; and furthermore, 
when Christ sends the message to St. John, confirms 
His messianic mission by referring to the cures of lepers 
and other sickness, as evidenced by St. Matthew, xi:5, 
and St. Luke, vii :22. 



Resurrection of the Dead 

The most remarkable of all miracles performed by 
Jesus Christ were those of raising the dead to life and 
health. And of those we will quote three which are men- 
tioned in the New Testament. We are aware of the fact 
that there are writers and instructors who would have it 
that these were not genuine dead ; that they were only in 
a cataleptic state or even in a state of coma, all of which, 
when all the circumstances are intelligently and impar- 
tially considered, fall by the wayside. In catalepsy we 
have prodromal symptoms, and it is not so difficult, even 
for the layman, to detect life or suspicion of life, and 
usually it is not difficult to detect the heart beat, and the 
changes of death do not appear, all of which will retard 
the relatives from a hasty burial, more especially so when 
it is of such importance as in the case of the only son of a 
widow, who does not wish to give him up for dead. Coma 
is another symptom which is claimed by them that may 
have been the reason for suspected death. But the same 
argument holds good here, only more so. And to con- 
clude that Jesus should have accidentally come along 
when the condition of catalepsy or coma was at the point 
where the patient could be awakened, at each time, is 
rather amazing. 

St. Luke, vii : 12-15. It is said that when Jesus, with 
rlis disciples and a great multitude came nigh to the gate 
of the City of Nairn, a dead man was carried out, the only 
son of his mother, and she was a widow ; and a great mul- 
titude of the city was with her, indicating great respect 
for her family. "Whom, when the Lord had seen, being 
moved with mercy totvards her, he said, Weep not. 



94 Resurrection of the Dead. 

And he came near and touched the bier : (And they that 
carried it stood still) and He said, young man, I say to 
thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to 
speak. And He gave him to his mother." 

It is true, Jesus with His disciples and a great mul- 
titude, came near the gate of this city just at the time 
when this procession came out with the dead man, and it 
need not have been an accidental incident, for we are told 
that all His deeds were for the purpose of instructing His 
disciples, and to prove by His wonders before the people 
that He is the Messiah. He would naturally do that 
which would be of the most convincing deed; and that 
this double procession was prearranged in the allwise 
ways of God need not be doubted, for He went to a new 
city to teach; and what better way could have been 
chosen ? 

The very fact that without going or sending there 
He would be enabled in His travels to arrange a coinci- 
dence of a man dying and the funeral procession of such a 
magnitude to meet another procession just at the gate of 
the city He was about to enter should be only another con- 
vincing evidence of His divine power. That a dead man, 
the only son of a much respected widow, followed by a 
multitude of friends to the place of burial, and Jesus on 
His travels accidentally meeting them at the entrance to 
the city, sees much lamentation and tribulation of the 
widowed mother, and her sympathetic friends, is moved 
with mercy for the mother, approaches the bier and 
touches it and commands the young man to arise, which 
command is immediately answered by his obedience, 
and arising, he begins to speak, and is turned over to his 
mother in presence of the great multitudes, who glorify 
God and report the wonder "throughout all the country 
round about/' was certainly a convincing adventure, but 



Resurrection of the Dead. 95 

to us another instance where Christ shows Himself not as 
a physician, but that he performed the miracles to attract 
the faith of the people in His divine power. 

St. Mark, v: 35-43, reports the case of the daughter 
of the ruler of the synagogue, who had died, and when 
the ruler had been reminded by his people who had come 
from the ruler's house, that he should bother the master 
no farther, that his daughter had died, and Jesus, having 
heard the words that were spoken, said to the ruler of the 
synagogue : "Fear not, only believe/' and when He came 
to the house of the ruler of the synagogue He found many 
people weeping and wailing much. He said to them that 
she "is not dead, but sleepeth, and they laughed Him to 
scorn." And after entering the house, and the room in 
which she was lying, and taking her by the hand, He said 
to her: "Damsel, I say to thee arise, and immediately 
the damsel rose up and walked: And she was twelve 
years old : and they were astonished with great astonish- 
ment, and He commanded something to be given her to 
eat." 

The most remarkable of the miracles wrought by 
Jesus Christ, insofar as are reported by the apostles and 
evangelists (His own excepted), is that of the resurrec- 
tion of Lazarus, who had been "buried four days," and 
was, as was the custom at that time, entombed in a sep- 
ulcher, which was made airtight; and in order to bring 
this case before the reader more vividly will give the full 
text as written by St. John, xi :39- : "Jesus saith : Take 
away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, 
saith to Him: Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he is 
now of four days. Jesus saith to her : Did not I say to 
thee that if thou believe thou shalt see the glory of God? 
They took therefore the stone avjay; and Jesus lifting up 
His eyes said : Father, I give thee thanks that thou hast 



96 Resurrection of the Dead. 

heard me. And I know that thou hear est me always, but 
because of the people who stand about have I said it, that 
they may believe that thou hast sent me. When He had 
said these things He cried with a loud voice: Lazarus, 
come forth. And presently he that had been dead came 
forth, bound feet and hands ivith ivinding bands, and his 
face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to them : 
Loose him and let him go. Many therefore of the Jews 
vjho were come to Mary and Martha, and had seen the 
things that Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of 
them went to the Pharisees and told them the things that 
Jesus had done. The chief priests therefore and the 
Pharisees gathered a council and said : What do we? for 
this man doth many miracles. If we let Him alone so, all 
will believe in Him; and the Romans ivill come and take 
away our place and nation. From that day, therefore, 
they devised to put Him to death' 9 

This chapter is of great importance for all ages, but 
particularly so in our age, where so many think, or claim 
to believe, that Christ came to this world as a healer of 
the physical sick. It teaches plainly that Christ per- 
formed miracles; 1st, to prove that He was the Son of 
God ; 2nd, that He was the promised Messiah. And more 
than that, in this chapter we have Christ's own version of 
the whole subject (of this volume), His own interpreta- 
tion, His own explanation and reason for doing or per- 
forming the miracles, more plainly, if possible, than in 
any other chapter. In His own words which are: "I 
know that Thou hear est Me always, but because of the 
people who are standing here I said it, that they may be- 
lieve that Thou hast sent me." That they believe in Him 
to be the Messiah, the Son of God : He heals the sick, the 
deformed, the blind, etc., and finally resurrects the dead 
(St. John, xi :42) . Again : "hi either hath this man sin- 



Resurrection of the Dead. 97 

ned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be 
made manifest in Him." (St. John, ix:3.) Far from 
any claim to replace the old practisions, without exag- 
geration, it may be said that the resurrections of the dead 
need not be considered in proving the extraordinary 
power of Christ. To any intelligent and impartial stu- 
dent the healing and manner of curing the sick, blind, 
lame, etc., as set forth in the New Testament, should be 
ample evidence that He performed them to prove His di- 
vine powers ; and furthermore, from all the circumstances 
it should require no argument to demonstrate the reason 
for performing the miracles, much less should it appear 
to reason that they were performed and taught to be for 
the purpose of introducing a new therapeutic means of 
healing and alleviating suffering humanity from physical 
ills. 



Miracles; Other Than Those of Healing 

Thus far it has been our endeavor to show that the 
miraculous cures wrought by Jesus Christ, the attending 
circumstances, and the doctrine thereby conveyed, leads 
to the conclusion that the purpose of Christ in perform- 
ing them was none other than to prove Himself the prom- 
ised Messiah (Savior of mankind), and not for the pur- 
pose of changing the natural mode and practice of treat- 
ing the sick. 

Minding, however, the contention of those who would 
have Christ establish a system of healing by faith, spirit- 
ualism, suggestion, or what not, and allude to the extra- 
ordinary healing of the sick as quoted in Holy Writ as 
proof for their contention, it will not be out of place to 
quote a few miracles wrought by Him other than those 
of healing the sick. 

When we read Holy Scripture and note what is said 
concerning the coming and life of Christ we are reminded 
of the fact that all is remarkable. 

In many of the passages of the Old Testament we 
are told of His coming, of His remarkable career from 
the time of His birth to the time of His ascension, and of 
the establishment of His Kingdom on earth. 

In the New Testament we are told of His birth, and 
the circumstances surrounding it ; of the flight to Egypt, 
and the slaughter of the male infants by Herod ; His re- 
turn with His parents and His life at Nazareth; the re^ 
markable incident in the temple at Jerusalem when He 
was twelve years of age. 



Miracles Other Than Those of Healing. 99 

The period from His twelfth to His thirteenth year 
constitutes what is generally known as the hidden life of 
Christ. 

At the age of thirty He began to teach in public. 
Concerning Himself Jesus taught that He is the Son of 
God ("J and the Father are one") and the promised Mes- 
siah ; and He exacted faith of people in Him as the God- 
sent Messiah. 

To this end, to elicit faith in Himself, He performed 
miracles, such that were absolutely impossible to be done 
without the help or power of God; otherwise the people 
will not believe Him, as He tells the ruler: "Unless you 
see signs and wonders you believe not." St. John, iv:48. 

So at the marriage at Cana of Galilee He trans- 
formed water into wine, and manifested Himself as a Di- 
vine person to His disciples. St. John, ii:l-ll. Jesus 
fed five thousand men, besides women and children, with 
five barley loaves and two fishes, and of the fragments 
twelve full baskets remained. St. Matthew, iv: 17-21. 

Christ foretells the destruction of the temple. St. 
Mark, xiii:2. 

Jesus "rebuked the wind and the rage of the water, 
and it ceased; and there was a calm." St. Luke, viii:24. 

Jesus walks upon the sea. St. John, vi:19. 

At another time Jesus had compassion on the multi- 
tudes and said : "Behold, they have noiv been with Me 
three days, and have nothing to eat. And if I shall send 
them away fasting to their home they will faint in the 
way, for some of them came from afar off." Among 
them they had seven loaves and a few little fishes. After 
commanding the mulitude to sit down upon the ground 
He broke the bread, handing it to the disciples to lay be- 
fore them that were there; also the fishes,"And they did 
all eat and had their fill. And they took up seven bas- 



100 Miracles Other Than Those of Healing. 

ketsful of what remained of the fragments: And they 
that did eat were four thousand men, besides women] 
and children." St. Matthew, xv:32, St. Mark, viii:l-9. 
Christ foretells His passion. St. Luke, xviii: 31-43. 

Christ's resurrection and manifestation to His apos- 
tles. St. John, xx. 

Jesus after His resurrection came and stood in the 
midst of His apostles, greeting them. St. Luke, xxiv:36. 

Jesus appearing to the apostles and disciples after 
His passion by many proofs for forty days, appearing to 
them, speaking of the Kingdom of God, and eating to- 
gether with them ; and at the end of the forty days, and 
when He had finished His instructions, and while they 
looked on, "He was raised up, and a cloud received him 
out of their sight." Acts, i :1-11.. 

After considering the various phases of the most in- 
teresting cases of diseases cured by Jesus Christ, and a 
few other miracles wrought by Him, as recorded in Holy 
Writ, and having made a few appropriate comments 
thereon to show the object and purpose of same, we will 
now proceed to pay our respects to those claims and pre- 
tentions of which Christ is put down, incorrectly, how- 
ever, as the author and teacher. 



The Mind and Suggestion 

That the mind has much influence over the organs 
of the body no physiologist will dispute, and properly 
used can have great influence over disease, or diseased 
conditions, as well as over those which are not diseased. 

Depression of spirit causes biliousness; jealousy and 
anger poisons the blood and curdles a mother's milk ; bad 
news will take away a voracious appetite ; fright or fear 
paralyzes the heart, and whitens the hair ; a sudden rage 
kills ; a mother, it is said, screamed and fell dead at the 
sight of a dummy with a stick in hand, which her chil- 
dren had dressed up to frighten her for fun, and which 
she mistook for a burglar. Such and other cases could 
be cited by the score, all of which is reasonable ! 

In cases of illness a cheerful and hopeful face has a 
good influence; confidence and hope of getting well has 
a wholesome influence upon the sick; to cheer up a pa- 
tient and have him do all he can to assist the digestive 
organs by mental impression often is of value. Therefore, 
suggestion may have some influence in certain cases and 
conditions. 

Hysteria, which is a functional disease of the ner- 
vous system, associated with impaired will-power and in- 
creased impressionability. 

Drunkenness and other vices acquired by habit are 
subject to suggestion and cultivation of the will-power. 
(In other words, can be in nearly all cases given up at 
any time by will) . 

But to claim that organically diseased conditions 
with broken cell-tissues can be influenced by mind is an- 
other question. 



102 The Mind and Suggestion 

Tissue once lost cannot be restored by mind ! 

The tension of the nerves may be relaxed and thereby 
an acute neurology be affacted. A strained set of 
nerves may be relaxed by changing the state of mind, and 
so relieve the strain upon the tired nerves; but this 
change cannot be applied to tissue after pathological con- 
ditions have fully set in. 

Tubercle bacilli and various other disease-producing 
elements cannot be affected by suggestion or mind any 
more than if applied to a bullet or other foreign sub- 
stance that may be in man's tissue. 

Or, what would the mind have to do with a kidney 
infiltrated "with calculous deposits (gravel or stone), 
cirrhosis of the liver, and the various parasitic condi- 
tions, chronic uremea, etc.? In some cases, however, 
which had been brought about by worry, anger, dissi- 
pation, etc., may be so influenced, but the change then 
would not come about by mind, per se, but by a change 
of mind and a change of conditions; in other words, by 
the correction of the underlying cause. 

Hence, correction of abnormal conditions and prac- 
tices are the basis upon which mental influences become 
effective, and not to special gift, nor supernatural power. 



Hypnotism 

Hypnotism being of minor interest in our discus- 
sions, it will be merely mentioned in connection with the 
previous chapters, more particularly those concerning the 
miraculous cures wrought by Christ, and perchance re- 
lieve the to some extent prevailing belief that such treat- 
ments do or may have an influence with the physiological 
conditions and health of mankind. 

The principal question is, will the hypnotist com- 
manding a sick man to be well, thereby affect the dis- 
ease? 

There is no doubt he can demand the disease to leave 
the sick man, or command the sick man to be well; but 
to what purpose? He can tell the man who has but one 
eye or is blind, to see; but the blind man will remain 
blind ! Or he can command an insane man to be sane, but 
will it come to pass ? Emphatically no ! 

Hence hypnotism cannot affect disease. The blind 
man may be hypnotized, but when he comes to he will be 
a blind man as before ; and so it is in all cases of physical 
disease. 

Experiments have proven beyond all question that 
neither hypnotism nor suggestion has any effect upon the 
insane patient, due to pathological tissue changes. Hyp- 
notism, therefore, absolutely cures no organic disease, 
and has no curative effect whatever on such patients. 
Lost tissue cannot be restored in that way. 

It can only produce or influence an illusional belief 
for the moment, and may have an illusional and at best 
an anaesthetic effect, as would alcohol, morphine or 



104 Hypnotism. 

chloroform, which relieve pain temporarily, but do not 
cure in such cases. 

All may be used as a beneficial treatment in certain 
cases, which will for want of space not be discussed fur- 
ther. 

Recognizing the fact that neither hypnotism nor 
suggestion have curative effect on organic or real disease, 
the claim that the Biblical cures were not genuine, that 
the patients were under the influence of hynotism and 
suggestion are groundless; for it is well known that the 
effect of neither of them are lasting, and after all, if 
anyone so treated would awake, he would make himself 
known to the best effect. 

If used by competent medical men in selected cases 
of psychic and nerve disorders there is a legitimate use 
for suggestive therapeutics ; but that the improper or mis- 
use of this may be harmful need not be further discussed. 

Whether it be hypnotism or mesmerism, both of 
which- are obtained by suggestion, neither should be at- 
tempted unless it be under the supervision of a compe- 
tent physician, no more than that of administering ether 
or chloroform to anaesthetize a patient. 

Two rival theories are held as to the general charac- 
ter of hypnosis. The Paris school, led by Charcot, hold 
that it is a pathological condition which can be induced 
only in patients already mentally diseased or having neu- 
ropathic tendencies. The Paris school of interpreters 
find three stages of progress in the hypnotic sleep : First, 
catalepsy, characterized by rigid fixity of the muscles in 
any position in which the limbs may be put by the experi- 
menter, with great suggestibility on the side of con- 
sciousness, and anaesthesia in certain areas of the skin 
and in certain of the special senses ; second, lethargy, in 
which consciousness seems to disappear entirely: the 



Hypnotism. 105 

subject cannot be aroused by any sense stimulation by 
eye, ear, skin, etc., and the body is flabby and pliable 
as in natural sleep ; third, somnambulism, so called from 
its analogies to the ordinary sleep-walking condition to 
which many persons are subject. This last covers the 
phenomena of ordinary mesmeric exhibitions at which 
traveling mesmerists control persons before audiences 
and make them obey their commands. While other scien- 
tists properly deny these distinct stages as such 
they may yet be taken as representing extreme instances 
of the phenomena, and serve as points of departure for 
further discussion — which, however, we must decline for 
want of space. 

The so-called Nancy school, on the other hand, led by 
Bernheim, deny the pathological character of hypnosis 
altogether, claiming that the hypnotic condition is noth- 
ing more than a special form of ordinary sleep, brought 
on artificially by suggestion. Suggestion, they say, is 
only an exaggeration of an influence to which all persons 
are normally subject. All the variations, stages, curious 
phenomena, etc., of the Paris school they say, can be ex- 
plained by this "suggestion" hypothesis. The Nancy 
school, it seems, is completely victorious as far as the 
great mass of the facts are concerned. 

As to the therapeutic value of hypnotism there have 
been many remarkable and sensational cases of cure of 
diseases reported, especially in France. That hysteria 
in all of its manifold manifestations has been relieved is 
by some admitted to be true, but that any organic, struc- 
tural disease has ever been cured by a hypnotist is un- 
proven. In the United States it is not regarded by the 
medical authorities as an agent of much therapeutic 
value, and is rarely employed by the regular profession. 



106 Hypnotism. 

IN SUGGESTION we have a class of phenomena, 
typified by the abrupt entrance from without into con- 
sciousness of an idea or image which becomes a part of 
the stream of thought and tends to produce the muscular 
and volitional effects which ordinarily follow upon its 
presence. One suggests a course of action to his friend, 
who may adopt it. Besides the fact of ideal suggestion 
there is what may be called physiological suggestion, cov- 
ering the same class of phenemona in cases where the 
suggestion does not attain the standing of a conscious 
image, but remains subconscious. 

It is called physiological, because the nervous pro- 
cess, as in all cases of very faint degrees of consciousness, 
is largely self-acting or reflex. By physioloical sugges- 
tion, therefore, is meant the bringing about of a reaction 
subconsciously by means of an extra organic stimulus. 

The clearest examples of such suggestions occur in 
sleep. Words spoken to the sleeper are intelligently an- 
swered. Positions given to his limbs lead to others ordi- 
narily associated with them ; the sleeper defends himself, 
withdraws from danger, etc. The early developments of 
the child's consciousness proceeds largely by such sugges- 
tions. Before mental images are definitely formed and 
subject to association we find many motor reactions stim- 
ulated by such physiological suggestions from the envi- 
ronment. So we go on to food suggestions — suggestions 
of personalities, etc. To enter into all of them would re- 
quire more than the alloted space in this little work. 



Faith, Mind and Spiritual Healing 

From history it is plain that we have the so-called 
wonderful healers, based upon Scriptural authority from 
the very time of the apostles to this age. Simon, Acts, 
viii:9-, may properly be styled the Father of all heretics 
in this respect. 

The full name of this man was Simon Magus, who 
made his beginning at Samaria, where he had been a 
magician, seducing the people, giving out that he was 
some great one ; to whom they all gave ear from the less 
to the greatest saying : "This man is the power of God, 
which is called great." And they were attentive to him, 
because for a long time he had bewitched them with his 
magical practices. But when Phillip came and preached 
of the Kingdom of God in the name (authority) of Jesus 
Christ, "they were baptised, both men and women." 

Then Simon, with his keen eye to commercialism, 
seeing that his influence with the people was waning, 
had himself baptized, being astonished to see the signs 
and miracles which were done. 

The apostles, St. Peter and St. John, who came to 
Samaria to confirm the Christians who had been baptized, 
and Simon, well understanding that the power must come 
by the authority of the apostles, offered them money, 
saying: "Give me also this power, that on whomsoever 
I shall lay my hands he may receive the Holy Ghost." 
But St. Peter said to him: "Keep thy money to thyself 
to perish with thee. Because thou hast thought tho,t the 
gift of God can be purchased with money." Acts, 
viii: 17-18. 



108 Faith, Mind and Spiritual Healing. 

Hence we see that the first heresy, that of mental 
healing and commercialism, was condemned by the Chris- 
tian church, and that by the apostles themselves. 

In the presence of Emperor Nero of Rome and a mul- 
titude of people, among whom was St. Peter, this Simon 
Magus attempted an ascension into heaven as a proof of 
his divinity, but at the prayer of St. Peter that "God 
would put to confusion this blasphemer," he fell on the 
pavement, broke his bones and quickly expired. 

This is vouched for by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, one of 
the most noted church fathers, and in several apoery- 
ephal writings. 

Simon did as some do even in our time. He went on 
with his erroneous and charlatanic work, and in spite of 
knowing better, even at the peril of his life. 

This man, as all others after him, had their follow- 
ers in one form or another. 

Therefore, after the tragic death of Simon we have 
as his successor one Menander, with a close following by 
one Dositheus, who claimed to be the Messias. Hence, 
we see that even during the apostolic times commercial- 
ism was the basis of faith-healing, and was practiced by 
tne charlatans, who also resorted to this pernicious prac- 
tice. 

A little later we find them under various names and 
claims, all pretending to base their claims on Biblical au- 
thority, more or less as the exclusive discoverers of their 
respective sects or creeds, as is the case in our day. 

During the latter half of the first century of the 
Christian era we find gnosticism, a sect, or various sects, 
of mind and spiritual healing, as they are pleased to call 
the farce, which was also put under ban by the Christian 
church at that time as now ; which again would show that 



Faith, Mind and Spiritual Healing. 109 

the claims of present day so-called healers reverting back 
to practice of Christ and the early Christians for author- 
ity is not true. 

This early Gnosticism did not remain as one sect very 
long. The rivalry for honor, supremacy and greed was 
soon rampant, and new discoveries and claimants would 
spring up from time to time, and then came the different 
forms of Gnosticism. 

The early Gnostics distinguished three classes of hu- 
man beings: First, the spiritual; second, the physical; 
and third, the material. They taught that the spiritual 
are capable of the highest knowledge, the physical of faith 
alone, and the material are to be hopelessly and com- 
pletely in the power of matter. 

To discuss the various forms and teachings of 
Gnosticism would require more than the allotted space of 
this volume, and would be of little value to the reader. 

Spiritualism and magnetism are too well known to 
be given much attention, but may be classed as forms of 
Gnosticism. 

Superstitious practices are almost as old as the world 
itself. Just as there is no nation, tribe or clan but be- 
lieves in a deity, and has at least some semblance of re- 
ligious worship, so, too, superstition has its adherents 
among all classes of men the wide world over. 

Superstition has followed religion like a grotesque 
shadow, which, though not always noticeable, will never- 
theless show itself again and again. 

The oldest civilized nations, the Phoenicians and 
Egyptians, had their sorcerers, magieras, and wonderful 
healers. The Greeks and Romans believed in oracles, 
the black art, and angiers, and who does not know of the 



110 Faith Mind and Spiritual Healing. 

medicine man among the Indians of our own country, 
who, by incantations and prayers, sought to relieve their 
suffering fellowman. 

Leaving the early Gnosticism, and considering those 
of our time, we find one and all are more or less dove- 
tailed into the ancient Gnosticisms. 



Dowieism 

Dowieism, already on the verge of decay or disband- 
ment, has a passing interest, because it is one of the latest 
faith-cure sects, and at one time had a large number of 
followers. 

The founder of this sect, John Alexander Dowie, 
made his appearance in Chicago during the world's fair 
of 1893, and it was during this occasion that these words 
came to him like an inspiration : "They shall lay hands 
on the sick, and they shall recover." 

The World's Fair being in progress he found an ex- 
cellent opportunity to get himself into business. 

Through the assistance of his friends, who were at 
that time under his influence, he succeeded in opening a 
small tabernacle near the entrance to the fair grounds, 
and he began operations, alongside of other circus fea- 
tures of the exposition, and outdid them all in drawing 
crowds of the credulous, and making them pay dearly for 
their credulity. This is evident in view of the fact that 
at this time he was a poor man, and in ten years later 
had amassed a fortune of about twenty millions. 

The main point in Mr. Bowie's doctrine is in that he 
claimed to possess the power of healing in a marked de- 
gree as a special gift of God. Divine healing, he said, is 
opposed by diabolical counterfeits. Among the counter- 
feits are Christian Science, falsely so-called, mind heal- 
ing, spiritualism, and trans-evangelism. He claimed 
that all other ministers refuse to believe in Divine heal- 
ing in answer to prayer, and that he alone advocated this 
doctrine. Though this is not true, yet he had the faculty 



112 Faith, Mind and Spiritual Healing. 

to make his credulous hearers believe him to such an ex- 
tent that they readily turned over to him their cash, 
houses and business and all (it seems incredible) ! Mr. 
Dowie was, as all such others, a healer for the money 
there was in it. 

Investigation will convince any unbiased mind that 
all self-styled healers were fond of the filthy lucre. 

It is hardly worth the while to enter into detail with 
regard to Elijah II. 's reputation as a healer; but to show 
the ridiculousness of it all, and with what avarice the bus- 
iness is done, and how some so-called intelligent people are 
taken in, Dr. S. S. Hansen, formerly of Chicago, reports a 
case which came under his personal observation and 
knowledge wherein Mr. Dowie absolutely failed to effect a 
cure, though he obtained the money. A poor minister 
brought his sick son to Mr. Dowie and asked him to lay 
his hands upon him. This Mr. Dowie refused to do un- 
til he would receive $100.00. The minister had only a 
cow worth $60.00. He sold the cow and borrowed $40.00 
to make up the $100.00, which Dowie pocketed. The 
promised cure of the boy failed. This is only one of the 
many instances of like character of which the doctor has 
personal knowledge. 

The above is only one of the many cases that show 
how ridiculous the claims of ''divine healing" are. 

People are misled by smooth, suggestive talks and 
claims, and the astonishing part of it all is that so many 
are duped — and fail to see it. 



Theosophy 

This so-called scientific cult, or Gnosis, might be 
ignored as not pertaining to our subject, inasmuch as its 
adherents have not yet expressly taken up healing the 
sick. 

But as the physician is interested in natural physi- 
ology and biology, and as some teachers of the higher 
classics in some of our high schools advocate theosophical 
doctrines (though these same doctrines have neither a 
scientific nor a sound logical basis), we cannot pass over 
m silence a cult which in our belief has a tendency to 
undermine the very foundation of science, both of the 
physiological and biological order, and even of positive 
revelation itself. 

The superstitious and phantastic teachings of Budd- 
hism and Hindooism form the nucleus of theosophy. 

Whatever little Christianity it contains was added 
by its earliest exponents, who lived at a time when 
Christianity had been established. 

The doctrines of theosophy are at variance with the 
doctrines of the Christian church. 

Theosophists assume to teach the knowledge of the 
laws governing the evolution of the universe, of man and 
his reincarnation. 

They speak of various stages and planes that man 
has undergone and will undergo in a manner that is di- 
rectly opposed to the established conclusions of scientific 
research, and the universal experience of mankind. 

The present interest in theosophy in the United 
States dates back to 1875 A. D., when Helena B. Bla vat- 
sky, author of "The Seacset Doctrine/' "The Synthesis of 



114 TheosGphy. 

Science, Religion and Philosophy," "The Voice of 
Science," "Isis Unsealed, a Master Key to the Mysteries 
of Ancient and Modern Science," with Henry S. Olcott, 
William Q. Judge and several others formed the Theo- 
sophical Society in New York. Selling books is one of 
the main objects of the society, as can be seen from the 
above list, which has long since increased to many more. 

It is claimed by them that the sect owes its origin to 
Ammonius Saccus, a Greek philosopher, born in 
Alexandria, 193 A. D., founder of the school called Neo- 
Platonic. Though born of Christian parents, he went 
over to paganism, and held that the philosophy of Aris- 
totle is substantially the same as that of Plato. Ammo- 
nius Saccas died about 241 A. D. Whether or not there 
is a semblance to true philosophy in their doctrines must 
be relegated to the philosophers to determine. 

But the various divisions into which they would 
place the planes or stages of mankind, purporting marks 
of wisdom, such as Karama, Buddhi, Manas, Kaerma- 
Manas, Kaerma and more such or similar, though merely 
a scheme to attract ignorant and superstitious people in 
K.y-gone ages, cannot arouse much attention and admira- 
tion among the truly educated of our own times. 

It is too phantastic and ridiculous for the educated, 
and too confusing for the non-literary everyday man. 

Theosophy can only make propaganda among the 
half -educated who seek to be classed among the learned — 
but have neither the brains nor the thorough schooling of 
the latter. 



The heart of the wise seeketh instruction; and the mouth 
of fools feedeth on foolishness. — Prov. xv: 14. 



Eddyism 

The history of this sect is too well known to lose 
words or space in bringing it to the reader at this time. 

Suffice it to say that it is a well auhenticated fact 
that Mrs. Eddy's motive in this movement was the same 
as those before her. She had a preceptor, or more than 
one, to copy from, in particular a man by name of Quinby, 
who treated her in his way of suggestion for some real or 
imaginary ills, in whose treatment (as many others did 
since) , she saw at first where she could easily and prob- 
ably to her mind, respectably earn a few dollars, and later 
become rich and popular. 

And so was founded the most clever of all deceptions 
in our day (without dispute or fear of successful contra- 
diction), however, is what we may properly term the 
American Gnosis, Christian Science, so-called; an ag- 
glomeration of all heresies, and that in the face of what 
is termed "the century of enlightenment and education" 

Christian Science is a conglomeration of assertions 
contrary to all reason and science — a negation of all 
Christian doctrine without any solid basis on Holy Scrip- 
ture. 

How it is that men and women who otherwise seem 
to have some knowledge of natural science, literature 
and the Bible can be found to assent to such a doctrine 
is difficult to understand. 

It is plain that the foundress has used essentially 
the same method to advocate and market her doctrines as 
other founders of healing, etc., have made use of. 



116 Eddy ism. 

Though Mrs. Eddy's teachings are certainly not the 
teachings of Holy Writ, many people were quick to dis- 
cover that the new religion afforded polite and easy ways 
to make money. The foundress says as much in an un- 
guarded moment. 

"That in former times of Christian Science among 
thousands of my followers there were but few well-to-do. 
Today the Scientists are not in want, and their stately 
condition was acquired by healing the people." One of 
her communications in 1897. 

Therefore the great army of book agents and healers, 
nearly all members of the Eddy religion, want to be heal- 
ers, and thereby make an easy living. 

The fundamental principle of the creed is commer- 
cialism. 

Commercial ism is the characteristic mark of every- 
thing pertaining to Christian Science. 

The fact that Mrs. Eddy as a religious foundress has 
acquired an enormous fortune remains undisputed, and 
whatever Mrs. Eddy took in hand as pertaining to Chris- 
tian Science was always done with the keenest commer- 
cialistic end in view. 

This cannot be successfully denied. This religious 
sect has not done anything for charity, and socially does 
not believe in Christ's counsel : "Go sell what thou hast 
and give to the poor." 

A glance at the price list of Christian Science books 
gives a person an idea what an immense profit is realized 
from their sale. 

Every member of the sect is taxed at least $1.00 per 
annum as a poll tax (besides other things that come up). 

The first seven years of the Massachusetts Meta- 
physical College was to Mrs. Eddy a veritable mint. The 
pay exacted for extra courses were exorbitant. The sale 



Eddyism. 117 

of her works on Christian Science netted her a neat sum. 
Each healer must at least have one copy of the text- 
book — " Science and Health," or she or he will not receive 
the commission to act as a healer. 

Christian Science owes its growth to this, that every 
man or woman who becomes a healer does so for the 
money there is in it, and in order to have as large as pos- 
sible a field for operation becomes a missionary for the 

sect PRICE LIST OF BOOKS 

As printed in Christian Science Sentinel, April 1908 : 

Science and Health, cloth bound, 700 pp. $3.18 

Science and Health, leather bound, 700 pp 4 . 00 

Science and Health, Levant d. c. 1. 1. r. corner .... 6.00 
Concordance to Science and Health, cloth, 595 pp . . 5 . 00 

Miscellaneous Writings, 471 pp., cloth 2.25 

Miscellaneous Writings, 471 pp. moracco 4.00 

Miscellaneous Writings, Levant, leather 5 . 00 

Christ and Christians, illustrated 3 . 00 

Unity of Good, 80 pages 55 

Unity of Good, 80 pages, leather (pocket) 1.00 

Retrospection and Inspection, 120 pages, cloth. ... 1.06 
Pulpit and Press, 132 pages 1 . 06 

And several others at about one cent per page, all 
of which are made of medium price material and style of 
workmanship, hence on about as cheap basis as such 
books can be published. The force of the enthusiasm is 
money. 

There is no objection for anyone to get up a scheme 
for making money, provided it be done in an honest way. 
Not only is Christian Science a scheme to deceive people, 
and an attempt to reform Christ's church, and the 
(moral) teaching of Christianity, but it scoffs at phys- 
iology and therapeutics, and is a veritable negation of 



118 Eddyism. 

same, as appears from page 48, "Science and Health," 
1904, where she says: "When the sick recovers by the 
use of drugs it is the law of general belief culminating 
in individual faith which heals; and according to this 
faith will the effect be. Even ivhen you take away the in- 
dividual confidence in the drug you have not yet divorced 
it from the general faith. The chemist, the botanist, the 
druggist, the doctor, and nurse equip the medicine with 
their faith, and the beliefs that are in the majority rule." 

Again, on page 392: "Have no fears that matter 
can ache, sivell, and be inflamed, from a law of any kind, 
when it is self evident that matter can have no pain or 
inflammation, your body would suffer no more from ten- 
sion or ivounds than the trunk of a tree which you gash, 
or the electric ivire which you stretch, were it not for 
mortal mind. Man is never sick, for mind is not sick, 
and matter cannot be." 

This would mean that you can cut a gash into the 
trunk of a man as in that of a tree ; cut off a limb, a fin- 
ger, hand, arm, etc., and the spirit will take care of the 
man of faith. 

Again on page 176 she says: "Rightly understood, 
instead of possessing a sentient, material form, man has 
a sensationless body." 

Again on page 133 she says: "Children should be 
taught the truth cure." Yes, tell your babe, you have no 
colic, your child you have no cramps, or diphtheria. What 
has been the experience? 

It seems hardly worth time to ponder over the fail- 
ures and mistreatments of the numerous attempts to cure 
diseases by the so-called Christian Science healers. The 
failures, mistreatments, malpractice, more properly 
called, are too numerous to be counted. (The records are 
lull of them in most every vicinity of their labor) . 



Eddyism. 119 

Since their creed dees not acknowledge the reality of 
disease, the Christian Science healer does not diagnose 
any given case of sickness, nor trouble himself as to the 
cause of the disease. As a result patients suffering from 
ordinary diseases which could in early stages be relieved, 
and perfectly cured by ordinary and proper means, are 
allowed to suffer and die; epidemics are allowed to take 
their course, and thereby the health of the entire com- 
munity is imperned. 

By way of illustration take the following: A man, 
Mr. M., became ill, suffering from autointoxication (ap- 
pendicitis), caused by impaction. It was a mild case, 
for the first three or four days; then it became worse; 
but no physician was called until the sufferer was mori- 
bound (in a dying state), in order to have some one au- 
thorized with power to sign a death certificate. 

Miss B. was attacked with appendicitis, pain intense. 
The science doctor (healer) called, no physician is per- 
mitted to come in. Pain continues to increase, becomes 
excruciating until death relieves the scene. 

There is an epidemic of diphtheria, a child 8 years 
old, gets a sore throat, a severe case of diphtheria, accord- 
ing to the Science doctor (healer) ; the child drinks water 
gargles and finally gets well. The case is heralded abroad 
as a miraculous cure. 

It is well known to many that nature often helps it- 
self ; even in cases of diphtheria, when no special treat- 
ment has been resorted to, the sick person may, and, as a 
matter of fact, does recover. No wonder, then, that heal- 
ers may point to actual cures wrought ; but if the healers 
had not had these cases under treatment the cure would 
have been effected nevertheless. 

Cases of tumor are also reported to have been mirac- 
ulously cured. Now, how do they know what kind of a 



120 Eddyism. 

tumor it was? Well, the doctor said she must have an 
operation performed. Who does not know of women 
who have had tumors which were after a time absorbed, 
and others which finally broke and disappeared without 
the aid of Christian Science? The author can cite sev- 
eral such cases which were advertised as miraculous 
cures. Where is the physician of a few years' practice 
who does not know several such cases? 

The following is a case which came under the au- 
thor's personal observation. A woman, Mrs. D., 28 years 
of age, had given birth to four healthy children ; later on 
a tumor began to manifest itself which continued to in- 
crease for eight months, at which time the author was 
called (at about midnight), and on his arrival found the 
tumor had broken and was discharging a watery fluid, 
after which nothing further could be found of the tumor, 
and the lady today is in good health. There was no mira- 
cle about this. 

The claim of curing consumption is ridiculous. The 
author will venture to say that every case the healers 
treat, when it really is tuberculosis, if he remains long 
enough, dies on their hands. Every case that went into 
their hands known to the author died. And every physi- 
cian will have the same story to tell. There is absolutely 
not one cure of tuberculosis that is reliably on record that 
was cured by Christian Science. 

By permission the author reports two parallel cases 
of carcinoma of the rectum, as reported by Dr. J. R. Pen- 
nington of Chicago. A man 48 years of age, apparently 
healthy, robust and vigorous; the second, a woman 69 
years of age, weak, emaciated and hardly able to with- 
stand a surgical operation. 

The man dictated what should be done for his condi- 
tion. The woman said : Doctor, I am in your hands and 



Eddyism. 121 

4 

trust to you ; do the very best for me, and I will be satis- 
fied. He pinned his faith to Christian Science; she pin- 
ned hers to her doctor. He spent the last year of his life 
in a most miserable and wretched condition, a condition 
appalling and pitiful to behold. The lady suffered no in- 
conveniences from the operation, and has spent the past 
year of her life enjoying the very best of health, happi- 
ness and pleasure. 

Who has not read the sad report from Illinois of two 
children who were playing in the yard of one of the fam- 
ilies, and had found some rough-on-rats, both eating of it, 
both became ill; one a child of Scientists, the other not. 
In the latter case the doctor was hastily called, and re- 
lieved the child of the poison, and in four days this child 
attended the funeral of the former. What could you call 
this but criminal neglect, if not worse. 

It is very strange, but many of the so-called healed 
by Christian Science claim to be cured and are not. Many 
practitioners can give glaring testimonials, and so also 
the author. 

One of the lady healers, for example, probably was 
in her early days a sufferer from female troubles, as it is 
called by them, and was cured, but every month that 
same woman, now a healer of prominence, must go to bed 
for twelve to thirty-six hours, and the before and after 
illness is as much as possible suppressed. No pain, of 
course. Oh, no! It seems a clear case of chronic dys- 
menorrhea, of course, but the incentive of having been so 
miraculously cured, and having become a healer is all- 
sufficient for the great testimonials of what Christian 
Science did for her, and many others who so testify. 



First Church of Christ, Scientist 

This church has been organized and is supposed to 
be conducted or managed by a ooard of trustees, consist- 
ing of five men, who are selected, appointed or elected by- 
Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy, and as the Church Manual for 
1908 shows have adopted a set of Rules or By-Laws under 
which the church is governed, from which the following 
is an abstract of such of the Rules and By-Laws which 
seem of a general interest to the readers of this volume 
and is headed: 

TENETS OF THE MOTHER CHURCH. 

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and is organ- 
ized and officered as follows : 

Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy, Pastor Emeritus. 

A President, Secretary, Treasurer and two Readers. 
Their actions are absolutely subject to her approval in all 
things and respects concerning affairs of the church, as 
shown by Article I, Section 7 of the by-laws. 

"No Boards of Trustees nor Syndicates shall ever be 
formed by or between the members of this church, or 
shall exist in the mother church, except the Trusteeships 
be constituted by the Pastor Emeritus." 

Section 5, same article, provides that : 

"The Christian Science Board of Directors shall con- 
sist of five members. They shall fill a vacancy occurring 
on the Board after the candidate is approved by the Pas- 
tor Emeritus; a majority vote or the request of Mrs. Eddy 
shall dismiss a member. Members shall neither report 
the discussions of this Board, nor those with Mrs. Eddy." 

Article VII., Section 1: "To become a member of 
the Mother Church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, 



First Church of Christ. Scientist. 123 

in Boston, Mass., the applicant must be a believer in the 
doctrines of Christian Science, according to the platform 
and teaching contained in the Christian Science text- 
book, Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures, by 
Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy. The Bible, together with 
Science and Health and other works by Mrs. Eddy, shall 
be his only text-books for self -instruction in Christian 
Science, and for teaching and practicing metaphysical 
healing." 

Section 2. "This church will receive a member of 
another Church of Christian Science, but not of a church 
from a different denomination until that membership is 
dissolved." 

Section 3. "Children who have arrived at the age of 
twelve years, who are approved, and whose applications 
are countersigned by one of Mrs. Eddy's loyal students, 
by an Executive Member, a Director, or by a student of 
the Board of Education, may be admMted to membership 
with the Mother Church." 

Article X, Section 1. "Every member of the Mother 
Church shall pay annually a per capita tax of not less 
than one dollar, which shall be forwarded each year to 
the Church Treasurer." 

Section 2. "It shall be the privilege and duty of 
every member, who can afford it, to subscribe for the pe- 
riodicals tvhich are the organs of this church." 

Section 3. "If a member of the church has a patient 
whom he does not heal, and whose case he cannot fully 
diagnose, he may consult with an M. D. on the anatomy 
involved, and it shall be the privilege of a Christian 
Scientist to confer with an M. D. on ontology, the science 
of being." 

Article XI, Section 2. . "A full member or a proba- 
tionary member, tuho has been excommunicated once, and 



124 First Church of Christ, Scientist. 

who afterwards, tuhen sufficient time has elapsed thor- 
oughly to test his sincerity, gives due evidence of having 
genuinely repented and of being radically reformed, 
shall be eligible to probationary membership upon a 
unanimous vote of Christian Science Board of Directors." 

Section 3. "If a member has been twice notified of 
his excommunication he shall not again be received into 
this church." 

ARTICLE XXVI. 

Section 17. "If a member of the Mother Church of 
Christ, Scientist, or a member of a branch of this church, 
break the rules of its tenets as to unjust and unmerciful 
conduct, on complaint of Mrs. Eddy, our Pastor Emeritus, 
and his complaint being found valid, his or her name shall 
be erased from the Mother Church and the branch 
church's list of membership, and the offender shall not be 
received into the Mother Church or a branch church for 
twelve years." 

ARTICLE XXVIII. 

Section 8. "A branch church of the First Church 
of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Mass., shall not be organized 
with less than sixteen Christian Scientists, four of whom 
are members of the Mother Church. This membership 
shall include at least one active practitioner, whose card is 
published in the list of practitioners in The Christian 
Science Journal." 

ARTICLE XXXVI. 

Section 3. "If the author of the Christian Science 
text-book call on this Board (board of trustees), for 
household help or a handmaid, the Board shall imme- 
diately appoint a proper member of this church therefor, 
and the appointee shall go immediately in obedience to 
the call." 



First Church of Christ, Scientist. 125 

"He that loveth father or mother more than Me is 
not worthy of Me." Matthew, 10 :37. 
ARTICLE XLII. 

Section 3. "No new Tenet or By-Law shall be 
adopted, nor any Tenet or By-Law amended or annulled, 
without the written consent of Mary Baker G. Eddy, the 
author of our text-book, Science and Health." 

APPLICATION FORMS FOR MEMBERSHIP 
Are of two kinds and are numbered 1 and 2. "The 
first for those who have been taught by a loyal student, 
who has taken a degree at the Massachusetts Metaphysi- 
cal College, or by one who has passed an examination by 
the Board of Education, and the other, or No. 2, is for an 
applicant for membership who has not been taught by 
such authorities, but both forms are headed with the pre- 
rogative, as one who is not a member of any church, ex- 
cept a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, who loves 
Christian Science and reads under standingly the Bible 
and Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures, by 
Reverend Mary Baker G. Eddy, and other works by this 
author, and is Christianly qualified and can enter into full 
fellowship ivitht the Tenets and Rules of the First 
Cfiurch of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., is eligible to 
membership." Her declaration following: 
To The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, 

Mass. : 

William B. Johnson, C. S. D., Clerk. 

"/ hereby make application for membership, and 
subscribe to the Tenets and By-Laws of the Church. I 
have not studied Christian Science with a teacher, and 
am not a member of any church excepting, etc." 
Yours in Truth and Love. 

Signature. 



126 First Chruch of Christ, Scientist. 

Then follows the blank to be filled out by member 
who countersigns the same, recommending him to become 
a member, in the usual form. 

There may be no importance attached to those By- 
Laws and Formulas in our discussions, except that it is 
shown that they do business in a business way, just as 
other societies, only much more autocratic. It has not 
been claimed that a member could not be reinstated to 
the Christian fold. Her authority is absolute. There is 
no other. 



Quotations from Science and Health 
With Comments 

Christian Science being the most widely and best 
known system of so-called mind-healing of the present 
day, we deem it proper to give the subject some consider- 
ation by presenting such of its claims and doctrines that 
are looked upon as its fundamental principles and charac- 
teristics. 

Our comments will serve to elucidate whatever in 
them is not quite clear. 

Some readers may hold that Mrs. Eddy's writings 
are, as has been frequently said, of no moment, and only 
tend to show that Christian Science, so-called, is neither 
Christian doctrine nor a science, nor common sense. 

While this is no doubt true, it is also true that many 
otherwise fairly intelligent and fairly well-read people 
are attracted to this cult, and whether from lack of proper 
investigation or under the spell of some magnetic in- 
fluence accept its teachings as Divinely revealed truths. 

Barnum's paraphrase of the old latin saying: 
"Mundus vult decipi ergo decipiatur" — The people want 
to be humbugged! — should, however, not apply to those 
who seek aid for bodily ills; nor those who aim to save 
their soul. 

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make 
you free." — John viii:32. 

Holy Scripture, good in itself, is ill understood and 
misinterpreted by those who believe their own judgment 
rather than the authorized teacher of Christ's doctrine. 

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking 
makes it so." — Shakespeare. 



128 Quotations from Science and Health. 

"I, I, I, I itself, I. 

The inside and outside, the what and the why, 

The when and the where, the low and the high, 

All I, I, I, I itself, I Anonymous" 

P. III. 

The above reads like a riddle, but as a key to the 
Scriptures it does not fit. 

"In the year 1866 / discovered the science of meta- 
physical healing, and named it Christian Science. 

"God had been graciously fitting me, during many 
years, for the reception of a final revelation of the abso- 
lute principle of scientific mind?healing." (p. 1.) 

Behold a woman thrice married proclaiming herself 
as the instrument in the hands of God to re-establish the 
Church of Jesus Christ! (Which He had not been able 
to establish on a lasting and equitable basis nineteen cen- 
turies ago.) 

When there is question of self -adulation this divorsee 
should be accorded the palm ! 

"No analogy exists between the vague hypotheses 
of Agnosticism, Pantheism, Theosophy, Spiritualism or 
Millenarism and the demonstrable truths of Christian 
Science." (p. 5.) 

Mrs. Eddy has not adhered to any of them, but, in 
the main, followed the first, with some deductions from 
nearly all the others, with such further additions as 
seemed to fit her scheme ! 

As regards inconsistency of doctrines Eddyism un- 
doubtedly overtops them all. 

"Is there more than one school of Christian Science ? 

Christian Science is indivisible. Those who depart 
from this method forfeit their claims to belonging to its 
school, and become simply adherents of the Socratic, the 



Quotations from Science and Health. 129 

Platonic, the Spencerian, or some other so-called school, 
by which is meant that they adopt and adhere to some 
particular system of human opinion." (p. 6.) 

Her's, of course, is not human opinion ! 

•We have her own word for it. Only this and nothing 
more! 

"Our Master said to every follower, Go ye into all the 
ivorld; heal the sick, and preach the Gospel to the poor!" 
(P. 32.) 

If she believes that the above is the teaching of 
Christ (the text, however, is not correctly quoted), why 
does she claim to be the sole discoverer and authority for 
mind-healing? 

If she had a Divine commission to teach the truth 
she would, of course, have to abandon mind-healing, 
which again would be equivalent to giving up a lucrative 
practice and profession (book selling). 

"There is no pain in truth, and, no truth in pain; no 
nerve in mind, and no mind in nerve; no matter in mind, 
and no mind in matter; no matter in good, and no good in 
matter." (p. 7.) 

"God created the heaven and the earth. God called 
the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the 
waters He called seas." (Matter of course), and "God 
saw that it was good." Genesis, i:10. 

Mrs. Eddy refers to the Scriptures quite lavishly, 
but pays no attention to the texts that contradict her. 

"It is plain that God does not employ drugs or hy- 
giene, or provide them for human use; else Jesus also* 
tvould have recommended and employed them in His 
healing." (p. 36.) 

Jesus came into this world not as a physician to heal 
the physically ill, but as the Messias. When curing the 
sick He used a Divine power essentially His own to prove 



130 Quotations from Science and Health. 

that He is the Son of God, who had all power in whom 
the people should believe, and whose teaching was to be 
the rule of their lives. 

Jesus did not disapprove of the natural means for 
healing the sick; never criticised the physician, but, in 
many instances, approvingly alluded to him. 

Thus, e. g., in the parable of the man who fell among 
the robbers, St. Luke, x: 30-35, where the good Samaritan 
is praised for pouring oil and wine (medicine) into the 
wounds of the wounded man, "Go and do thou in like 
manner." See also Genesis, L:2; Exodus, xii:19; Eccle- 
siasticus, xxxviii:l-7, and 11 to 15, and other quotations. 

"The author has cured ivhat is termed organic dis- 
eases as readily as she has cured purely functional dis- 
eases, and with no means but mind." (p. 43.) 

Mrs. Eddy being utterly incapable of diagnosing dis- 
ease, not even believing that man is subject to disease, 
would naturally base her diagnosis upon that which the 
patients made. Is a patient's diagnosis of his own case 
reliable ? 

According to her own statements Mrs. Eddy does 
not Know one disease irom another, much less the de- 
gree of disease, nor whether there is a disease at all, nor 
whether patients are cured. 

"The profession of medicine originated in idolatry, 
with pagan priests, who besought the gods to heal the 
sick, and designated Apollo as the God of Medicine." (p. 
51.) 

If Mrs. Eddy was a Bible student and wanted to tell 
the truth she would not be capable to make such an as- 
sertion. 

"Mortal mind confers the only power a drug can pos- 
sess." (p. 51.) 



Quotations from Science and Health. 131 

Let Mrs. Eddy swallow two ounces of carbolic acid 
and firmly believe it has no effect on her. But the old 
lady is wise enough not to take the risk. 

"Disease is a belief — a latent illusion of mortal 
mind." (p. 61.) 

A sufferer from acute rheumatism need not be told 
that the author must have labored under an illusion when 
writing the above quotation. 

"There can be no healing except by mind." (p. 62.) 

What a bright mind it must be that can believe it. 

"The fundamental error lies in the supposition that 
man is a material outgrowth, and that the cognizance of 
good or evil, which he has through the bodily senses, con- 
stitute his happiness or misery." (p. 64.) 

Place yourself in the position of the man who discov- 
ers and realizes that he has contracted leprosy, and must 
from now on be separated from his kin and friends for 
the remainder of his life. 

"No more sympathy exists betiveen the flesh and 
spirit than between Christ and Belial." (p. 64.) 

A man is struck by lightning, the spirit leaves the 
body. 

If there was no sympathy between the spirit and the 
flesh, why is that body now lifeless? 

Flesh and spirit are most intimately united, more so 
than bridegroom and bride. When a thorn pricks the 
skin the mind is concerned with the removal of that 
thorn, and yet, says Mrs. Eddy, flesh and spirit have no 
sympathy for one another. 

"Disease is in mortal mind only." (p. 67.) 

How about a carious and infected tooth with ex- 
posed nerve? Answer, please! 

"Belief is all that ever enables a drug to cure mortal 
ailments." (p: 67.) 



132 Quotations from Science and Health. 

If this were true how would you account for the 
quality in the drug that kills the tape- worm? What has 
the mind — ? of the parasite to do with the drug? 

"When there are fewer doctors, and less thought is 
given to sanitary subjects, there will be better constitu- 
tions, and less disease." (p. 67.) 

The marvelous mind that reveals those phenomena. 
How much thought shall be given to sanitation? Shall 
there be no pure food laws? Meat inspection? Pest- 
houses or even sewerage? 

"The primitive custom of taking no thought about 
food, left the stomach and bowels free to act in obedience 
to nature, and gave the Gospel a chance to be seen in its 
glorious effects. A ghastly array of disease was not pa- 
raded before the imagination." (p. 68 and 69.) 

How does she know this? When did that primitive 
custom exist? and what were the causes of the diseases 
which Christ healed ? Why did St. Paul recommend that 
Timothy should take something for his stomach's sake ? 

"Science can heal the sick who are absent from their 
healer, as ivell as the present, since space is no obstacle to 
mind." (p. 71.) 

If that be so, why, then, do our Christian Scientists 
in the United States not heal the lepers of Malakai? If 
they can annihilate space to such an extent there should 
be no difficulty in doing so. 

A young woman, who is a so-called Christian 
Scientist, had observed with a growing pity a cripple who 
passed her house daily. His efforts to walk were so evi- 
dently painful that she determined to try the "absent 
treatment" on him. 

After the first few days of her self-imposed task she 
thought she noticed signs of improvement, and one day 



Quotations from Science and Health. 133 

he appeared without his crutch and walked with hardly 
a limp. She was so overjoyed that she rushed to the 
street, seized the man's hand, and said : "My dear friend, 
you must excuse me, hut I cannot refrain from rejoicing 
with you over your cure. I have used faithfully the 'ab- 
sent treatment' for your infirmity, and I cannot tell you 
how happy I am to see by your walk that you have recov- 
ered." When the man rallied from the bewildering effect 
o± this sudden outburst "of present treatment," he re- 
plied: "Thank ye kindly, ma'am, for your interest in 
me. I don't suppose it has hurt me any. But I may just 
as well say I have just got a new wooden leg with rubber 
foot, and it ivorks splendid, ma'am. The other old wood- 
foot thing always did make me limp." 

"I never believe in receiving certificates or present- 
ing testimonials of cures." (p. 86.) 

It strikes a person as strange to find the very thing 
condemned, a testimonial on page 86, and many more 
throughout her writings. 

"One disease is no more real that another. All dis- 
ease is the result of education, and can carry its ill-effect 
no further than mortal mind maps out its way." (p. 69.) 

This declaration is evidently based on a lack of 
knowledge on the part of the author. No intelligent 
person of ordinary experience would give this a second 
thought. 

"Nerves are not the source of pain or pleasure." 
(p. 107.) 

Who claims that they are? Apply a hot iron to the 
nerves and be convinced by experience. 

"What is termed matter, being unintelligent, cannot 
says, I suffer, I die, I am sick, or I am well." (p. 106.) 

St. Paul says he suffered ; Christ suffered. 



134 Quotations from Science and Health. 

Place a grain of sand or splinter under the eyelid, 
stick a pin into the quick of the finger nail and try your 
demonstrations. 

"Sound is a mental impression made on human be- 
lief." (p. 109.) 

She should have had a high school course in physiol- 
ogy, so that she would at least know something about 
sound. 

"Man is neither young nor old." (p. 140.) 

We use the word age in its relative and not in its 
absolute meaning. 

This ought to appeal to every old bachelor and old 
maid. 

"Matter has no more sense as mortal man than it has 
as a tree." (p. 146.) 

What becomes of a mortal man when a tree falls on 
his head? 

"Instinct is better than misguided reason, as even 
nature declares." (p. 116.) 

One word of truth at last ; for instinctively, the horse 
when ill gnaws bark from the tree, or wood from the 
manger, goes to the clay knoll and licks dust. The dog, 
when he has tape-worm, eats artemisia or mugworst, 
weeds that he is not known to eat at any other time. 
When he is wounded he cleanses the wound with his teeth, 
and licks it with his tongue. Instinctively he uses the 
same remedy on the wound of his master. 

The bee is a clean hygienic insect. Instinct impels 
it to store up food, to provide for its larva with the nec- 
essary polen ; a cat, when sick in the stomach, eats grass, 
which irritates and acts as an emetic, and so relieves the 
nauseau and pain. Catnip is another weed she makes 
use of. 



Quotations from Science and Health 135 

A trout elects to lie in a dark, shady pool, and quickly 
takes on somber hues in harmony with his environments. 
He passes out into the sunny riffles and becomes bright 
again. 

"Children should be taught the truth-cure among 
their first lessons, and kept from discussing or entertain- 
ing theories or thoughts of sickness." (p. 133.) 

What about infants and their needs and pains ? Are 
they, too, to be taught not to heed cold, wet and dangers 
ox any kind? 

"Had Jesus believed that Lazarus had lived or died 
in his body He ivould have stood on the same plane of be- 
lief with those who buried the body, and he could not 
therefore have resuscitated it." (p. 241.) 

This can only be the conclusion of one who denies the 
power of Jesus Christ to resurrect the dead to life. Yet 
Mrs. Eddy lays claim to the title of a Christian. 

"Anciently those apostles who were Jesus' students, 
as well as Paul, who was not one of His students healed." 
(p. 289.) 

The apostles and St. Paul preached Christ crucified, 
and His doctrine, but nowhere did they nor St. Paul write 
to their appointees that they should heal the sick. Al- 
though Holy Scripture tells us — Acts, xxviii, 8 to 10 — 
that St. Paul came on an island which was called Melita, 
inhabited by barbarians, where he was bitten by a viper, 
so that the inhabitants expected him to die, but was not 
injured, and later healed the sick father of Publius. who 
lay sick with fever and flux, and other sick that were 
presented were healed by him. 

God performed these miraculous cures through St. 
Paul, so that those barbarous people might recognize in 



136 Quotations from Science and Health. 

him a messenger of Christ and be gained over to Chris- 
tianity. 

¥/hen Christianity had been established in the world 
miracles were of less frequent occurrence. 

The gift of working miracles is a gift of God, and 
only to whom "God wills the power is given." But real 
miracles are only performed in the intent of truth (as 
even Simon, the magician, understood it). Acts, viii:18 
and 19. 

Not only did St. Paul not teach the science of healing, 
but sought medical aid for himself when he was de- 
tained at Galacia on account of sickness. The eminent 
physician, Luke, was called to administer to him, having 
thus made his acquaintance. Later Luke associated him- 
self with St. Paul, and he became one of the evangelists. 

St. Paul did not profess to be a healer of the physical 
sick, as has been stated before, and did not criticise the 
physician nor his work, but as will be noted from his' 
writings the physicians were esteemed by him as by all 
other men of God. 

In the epistle to the Colossians, iv:14, reference is 
made to St. Luke as the "most dear physician." 

That St. Paul did not make a practice of healing the 
sick is again shown by his own words when he reports 
that he left Trophemus sick at Miletus. 2 Timothy, 
iv:20. 

We also find recorded in Holy Writ that St. Peter 
healed the cripple who was begging at the temple, but 
nowhere does he in his writings teach that his followers 
should do so. Compare Acts, iii:l-8. 

"Medical theories virtually admit the nothingness of 
hallucination, even while treating them as diseases." 
(p. 293.) 



Quotations from Science and Health. 137 

Hallucinations may be found in persons not insane, 
but indicate a disordered state of the brain. 

Physicians do not treat hallucination with medicine, 
but by suggestion. 

"All forms of disease are delusions." (p. 294.) 

If all forms of disease are delusions, then health is a 
delusion also. 

"He who is ignorant of what is termed hygienic law 
is more receptive of spiritual power." (p. 381.) 

According to these the unkempt aborigines of our 
own land, the cannibals of the Fiji Islands and the tatooed 
Africans ought to be the most receptive subjects of Chris- 
tian Science, and we should look for spiritual power 
rather among the uncivilized tribes of the backwoods 
than in the land of Uncle Sam or John Bull. 

"The less we know or think about hygiene the less 
we are predisposed to sickness." (p. 387.) 

Same old song. 

Why is it necessary to have sewers and waterworks 
systems ? 

"Obedience to the so-callea physical laws of health 
has not checked sickness." (p. 58.) 

Just the reverse is the case, as statistics relating to 
epidemics will show. 

"Who is the founder of mental healing? The author 
of Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures, 
who discovered the science of healing embodied in her 
works." (p. 34, Miscellaneous Writings.) 

It may be admitted that she formulated at least that 
part which she did not borrow from Quinby and others 
before her. 

"All classes of diseases can be healed by our method." 
(p. 41, Miscellaneous Writings.) 



138 Quotations from Science and Health. 

With an eye for business, why did none of them ever 
earn a single prize for one cure ? 

The fact is that there is no reliable record that they 
have cured a single disease that would not have been 
cured in the natural way. 

"Disease arises, like other mental conditions, from 
association. Mortal mind, not matter, contains and car- 
ries the infection." (p. 47.) 

"Hence contagion in mind only." (p. 605.) 

And yet people have been poisoned by eating canned 
fruits, etc., though at the time they believed it to be 
wholesome food. 

"Physical diagnosis induces disease." (p. 369.) 

Therefore the mind-healer is not supposed to know 
what disease he is treating, neither the patient, but or- 
dinarily the patients are their own diagnosticians. 

"Physicians examine the pidse, tongue, lungs, etc., 
to discover the condition of matter, when, in fact, all is 
mind, and the body is the subtraction of mortal mind, to 
whose higher mandate it must respond. Disquisitions 
on disease have a mental effect similar to that produced 
by telling ghost stories in the dark." (p. 370.) 

Apply these to Bubonic plague, leprosy, smallpox and 
other diseases, and compare with the above ghost stories. 

"Heat and cold are products of mind. Nothing that 
lives ever dies, and vice versa." (p. 373.) 

When infected with Bubonic plague the initial symp- 
toms are headache, backache, muscular stiffness, vertigo, 
mental depression and uneasiness, rapid respiration and 
other symptoms. Then chills (cold). Then high fever 
(heat) , caused by the bacillis pecis, (the leper bacillus) , 
and so with other infectious fevers. Now, what has the 
mind to do with these phenomena ? The second assertion 
is not worth a reply. 



Quotations from Science and Health 139 

"Anodynes, counter-irritants and depletion never re- 
duces inflammation scientifically.' 7 (p. 373.) 

How does she know whether it is or not done scien- 
tifically? 

"Chills and heat are often the form in which fever 
manifests itself. Change the mental state and the chills 
and fever disappear." (p. 374.) 

Try this in a case of erysipelas, peritonitis, rheuma- 
tism, malaria and other infectious fevers that have been 
diagnosed as such by a competent physician. 

"Palsy is a belief that matter attacks mortals, and 
paralizes the body, making certain portions of it motion- 
less. Destroy the belief, show mortal mind that muscles 
have no power to be lost, for mind is supreme, and you 
will cure the palsy." (p. 374.) 

Try this on a case of tumor on the brain or spine! 
But have the surgeon remove the tumor, remove the pres- 
sure, and the palsy or paralysis is at that instant relieved ! 
or, try it on a case of hemiplegia, the same result will be 
observed; (but change of mind or suggestion will be nill, 
no matter by whom demonstrated). 

"// the body is material it cannot for that very rea- 
son suffer with fever. Because the body is mental, and 
governed by mental mind, it manifests only what mind 
impresses upon it." (p. 375.) 

Mrs. Eddy's claim to "have cured a case of hip dis- 
ease, with caries of the bone ulcerating," page 88, must 
be false according to her own statements, for she says, 
"Matter cannot be sick, ache, swell or be inflamed," pages 
375 and 392. Why, then, would they pretend to heal the 
sick and suffering? 

"If your patient believes in taking cold, mentally con- 
vince him that matter cannot take cold, and that thought 
governs this liability." (p. 375.) 



140 Quotations from Science and Health. 

Why has the Christian Science healers coryza, a cold 
in the head, as he calls it ; bronchitis and cough for days 
and weeks, just as other people do? 

Why does he use a handkerchief? 

St. Paul did not tell his co-lahorer to make a demon- 
stration, neither that he would do so himself, nor did he 
tell him to go to a physician, because he was not a very 
sick man. He needed a tonic, he needed toning up, hence 
he advised him to take a little wine to gain strength. 

"A patient thoroughly booked in medical theories is 
more difficult to heal through mind than one who is not." 
(p. 381.) 

Because he knows better. The ignorant are duped ! 

"// disease can attack and control the body, without 
the consent of mortal mind, sin can do the same." (p. 
377.) 

There is no reasonable comparison in this. 

Disease attacks the human being without his will or 
consent, whereas sin is not committed except by an act of 
the free will, together with a knowledge of the wrong- 
doing. 

Man may be overheated (a sunstroke), may eat or 
drink something that does not agree with him, drink ice 
water or what not, and get sick without his consent. He 
may have a wound, a small abrasion or scratch in the skin, 
and come in contact with anthrax or strepticococcus 
bacilli, and contract blood poisoning, as for instance 
when stepping on a nail ; he may be stung by wasps, bees, 
or bitten by a snake or poisonous insect, etc. He may 
eat food or drink water which has been contaminated, e. 
g., by the house-fly, which had been fed on or walked 
over the excreta of typhoid fever patients, and having no 
knowledge become thus infected and have typhoid fever 
just the same. 



Quotations from Science and Health. 141 

Think of the mosquitoes in the tropical regions con- 
taminating and carrying the yellow fever bacilli and so 
spreading the disease! 

Anyone who can associate such conditions with mind 
must be laboring under a delusion. 

"A hint may be taken from the emigrant, whose filth 
does not affect his happiness, inasmuch as mind and body 
rest on the same basis." (p. 382.) 

What about the Mosaic teaching of cleanliness? 
Christ washing the feet ? All who are in any measure up 
in the knowledge of disease and hygiene unite in saying 
that in the houses of dirt and filth diseases of all kinds are 
more numerous, and epidemics most likely to originate. 

"// you sprain the muscles or ivound the flesh your 
remedy is at hand. Mind decides whether or not the 
flesh shall be discolored, painful, swollen and inflamed. 
Any supposed information, coming from the body or from 
inert matter, as if they were intelligent, is an illusion of 
mortal mind, one of its dreams/ (p. 384.) 

Think of the person who sprains his or her back, 
wrist, ankle or neck ! Who cannot move, roll over or get 
upon his feet, for want of power to do so, or from pain. 

Think of the man who was caught between the bump- 
ers of two freight cars, or had a wagon or street car run 
over him, etc. 

Think, reason, how much the mind has to do in such 
and similar cases with the pain, swelling or inflamma- 
tion! 

"The fact is food does not affect the real existence of 
man." (p. 387.) 

W T hy are those people so solicitous for good, plentiful 
eatables? 



142 Quotations from Science and Health, 

Christ said, referring to the multitude : "If I send 
tliem away fasting to their home, they will faint in the 
ivay." St. Mark, viii :3. 

Jesus went into the house of a certain prince on the 
Sabbath to eat bread. St. Luke, xiv :1. 

She certainly does not get her idea from the New 
Testament. 

"The less we know or think about hygiene the less we 
are predisposed to sickness." (p. 387-8.) 

From all this it would seem that mankind should not 
even know the location of the stomach and bowels, and be 
able to attend to natural demands, and cleanliness; no 
wonder Mrs. Eddy speaks of mindless lobsters. 

"// half the attention given to hygiene were given to 
the study of Christian Science . and its elevation of 
thought, this alone would usher in the Millenium. Bath- 
ing and rubbing, to alter secretions, or remove unhealthy 
exhalation from the cuticle, receives a useful rebuke 
from Christian healing." (p. 380.) 

The Iroquois Indians, so historians tell us, had a hor- 
ror of soap and water. Too bad that the appearance of 
the pale face ended their millenium of filth. 

"Admit the common hypothesis that food is what sus- 
tains life, and there follows the necessity for another ad- 
mission, in the opposite direction, namely, that food has 
power to destroy life, through its deficiency or excess in 
quality or quantity. This is a specimen of the ambiguous 
character of all material health theories." (p. 387.) 

Not only common sense and physical science teach 
the necessity of food for the body, but Holy Scripture does 
so in many passages in the Old and New Testaments. 
More particularly Christ himself, when He fed with five 
loaves and two fishes the multitude who followed Him to 
the desert, five thousand men, besides women and chil- 



Quotations from Science and Health. 143 

dren, St. John, vi, and on another occasion four thou- 
sand, on whom He had compassion because they had noth- 
ing to eat. St. Matthew, xv:32. 

"Man is never sick; for mind is not sick, and matter 
cannot be." (p. 392.) 

Why, then, do they claim to heal the sick? No won- 
der men of thought and reason say that this so-called 
Christian Science will die a natural death; it is remark- 
able it has lived so long. 

"The only effect produced by medicine is dependent 
upon mental action. If the mind were parted from the 
body, could you produce any effect upon the brain by ap- 
plying the drug?" (p. 400.) 

When the spirit of life leaves the body, then man is 
dead ; but when a living man unconsciously or consciously 
steps upon, or otherwise comes in contact with a live wire 
(charged with electricity), does it effect by its physical 
or mental power? It means death even to a mental 
healer, if the current is strong. A man unconscious of 
the danger blows out the gas and goes to bed. Is it mor- 
tal mind that gives the gas the power to asphyxiate him? 
A man takes consciously or unconsciously ten grains of 
strychnine; how much can a mind-healer do in this case 
by his demonstrations? 

Carbolic acid taken in sufficient quantity will unques- 
tionably kill a person, notwithstanding demonstration or 
prayers by healers ; but if in time, before the tissues are 
too much burnt, the natural chemical antidote, alcohol, is 
administered, the patient is saved. Hence not the mind, 
but the natural chemical quality of the antidote has the 
power to counteract one poison by another. Or, place a 
few drops of croton oil on the tongue, and notice the effect 
— mind, or no mind. 



144 Quotations from Science and Health. 

And yet those so-called mind-physicians would teach 
that medicine has no power or effect except that which 
mortal mind gives it. (p. 373 and 400, etc.) 

"Matter cannot be influenced, inflammation is an ex- 
cited stage of mortal mind, that is not normal. Immortal 
mind is the only cause, therefore, disease is not a cause or 
effect:' (p. 413.) 

Hence a contusion, traumatism, or swelling from an 
infection, from the bite of a reptile, would not take place 
were it not for mortal mind; so says the foundress of 
Christian Science. 

"If the lungs are disapeparing this is but one of the 
beliefs of mortal mind." (p. 423.) 

Yet, it is an undeniable fact that every case of the 
lungs really disappearing (tuberculosis), coming under 
their treatment, and if allowed to remain long enough, 
ends in death ; and the post mortem examination confirms 
the disappearance of the lungs. 

"Life is real, and death is the illusion." (p. 425.) 

She does not recognize a material body. Holy scrip- 
ture, however, teaches that death is real ! The death of 
Jesus was real, and He was after His resurrection with 
the Apostles for forty days. Acts i : 1-11. 

Holy Scripture recognizes a material body of man, a 
material death, and a material resurrection at the end of 
time. St. John xx : 20 and 27. Christ showed His hands 
and His side to his disciples to convince them of the resur- 
rection of His body. 

Mrs. Eddy's ''Key to the Scriptures" seems to be a 
mistake. 

"If man did not exist before the material organiza- 
tion began, he could not exist after the body is disinte- 
grated." (p. 427.) 



Quotations from Science and Health. 145 

In the book of Genesis we read: God formed man 
of the slime (clay) of the earth, and breathed into his 
face the breath of life, and man became a living soul. 
Genesis ii: 7. Hence the body of man lives from the 
time it receives and so long as it possesses a soul. The 
Apostles' creed teaches us to believe in death and the res- 
urrection of the body, and a life everlasting. 

Man is not matter made up of brain, bones and other 
material elements:' (p. 471.) 

Man is a creature composed of body and soul. Gen- 
esis ii:7. . 

"The heathen gods of mythology controlled war and 
agriculture as much as nerves control sensation, or 
muscles measure strength. To say strength can be in 
matter, is like saying power can be in a lever." (p. 481.) 

If the present heathen could control, as the nerves 
are sure to do ; and muscles' strength is known, what that 
clan would not know; if matter and mind were in their 
control. 

"Does christian science or metaphysical healing in- 
clude medication, hygiene, mesmerism or mediumship? 
Not one of them is included in it." (p. 480.) 

The rules of hygiene are observed by Christian Scien- 
tists. They put on clothing, and observe sanitation ; and 
why do they want pure food and cleanliness ? 

"Do the five corporal senses constitute man? Chris- 
tian Science sustains, ivith immortal proof, the impossi- 
bility of material senses, and defines these so-called senses 
as mortal beliefs, ivhose testimony can neither be true of 
man nor his maker." (p. 484.) 

Christian Science, so-called, knows about as much of 
immortal mind as those who claim that the moon is made 
of green cheese. The term science as used in so-called 



146 Quotations from Science and Health. 

Christian Science is a misnomer; it is neither Christian 
nor science, nor common sense. 

"The less mind there is manifested in matter the bet- 
ter. When the unthinking lobster loses his claiv it grows 
again." (p. 484.) 

The wisdom that is displayed in this parallel ! Mrs. 
Eddy forever harps on mind, everything is mind accord- 
ing to her, but all at once — we are informed "the less 
mind the better." However, the lobster is able to select 
his proper food, and reject the improper or injurious. 

"Will-power is but an animal propensity, not a fac- 
ulty of soid." (p. 486.) 

Does God have a will? Christ taught us to pray 
"Thy will be done on earth" etc. Again, during His 
agony in the garden He prayed, "Not mine, but Thy will 
be done." To speak of will power, as an animal propen- 
sity, since God has free will in the highest possible per- 
fection, is little short of blasphemy. 

"Sickness is an illusion, to be annihilated by mind. 
Disease is an experience of mortal mind." (p. 489.) 

If a dog bitten by one suffering with rabies bites a 
man the man will die from the infection, unless medical 
aid is speedily administered. 

Is it the mortal mind, or is it the virus which causes 
the sickness and death of the man, and also of the dog? 
(N. B. — The dog had been bitten by another mad dog, and 
the man was not aware of the fact that the dog had 
rabies) . Was it the motral mind of the dog, or dogs, that 
gave to the virus the power to make both sick and cause 
death? Scientifically there can be but one conclusion. 
Mind had nothing to do with it. 

"TEACHER AND STUDENTS." 

"If patients fail to experience the healing power of 
Christian Science, and think they may be benefited by 



Quotations from Science and Health. 147 

certain ordinary physical methods of medical treatment, 
then the mind-physician ought to give up the case, and 
leave invalids free to resort to whatever other systems 
they fancy afford relief." (p. 400.) 

A reasonable instruction. But, in many cases, by 
that time it is too late; the disease has progressed, and 
had time to do irreparable damage. 

* should treat sickness mentally just as you 
would sin, except that you must not tell the patient he is 
sick. A Christian Scieiitist's medicine is mind. He 
never recommends hygiene, never manipulates." (p. 
450.) 

There is where the danger to the patient comes in, 
and why should he treat them at all ? He does nothing. 
"Principiis obsta; sero medicma paratur. 
Quum mala per lougas convaluere moras. 

Resist the first advances; too late is a cure attempted 
when through long delay the malady has waxed strong." 
Ovid. 

"A Christian Scientist requires my work on Science 
and Health for his text-book, and so do all his students 
and patients." (p. 453.) 

Otherwise the fundamental object (selling books), 
would not be accomplished. 

"Teachers and students should be familiar with the 
obstetrics taught by this science; you should so detach 
mortal thought from its material conceptions that the 
birth will be natural and safe." (p. 459.) 

The teacher who knows nothing of anatomy, 
physilology, chemistry, surgery nor pathology, and teach 
obstetrics! Think of lacerations, hemorrhage, deformi- 
ties, eclamsia, etc. What could they do for such cases ? 



148 Quotations from Science and Health. 

"Our Master {nor Scripture) left a definite rule for 
demonstrating His principle of healing and preventing 
disease. . . This remained for Christian Science (Mrs. 
Eddy) , to be discovered, through Science and Health, with 
Key to Scriptures." (p. 41.) 

The three times married Mary Baker G. Eddy, of the 
nineteenth century, was to be the agent through which 
the long-neglected or undiscovered doctrine was to be 
discovered, and revealed to the God-forsaken people of 
the world. In other words, Mrs. Eddy assumes that 
Jesus Christ, the son of God, was too thick-headed to see 
this much-needed and saving phenomenon to mankind. 

"Every sort of sickness is a degree of insanity; that 
is, sickness is alivays halluncination." (p. 406.) 

Therefore, as there is no perfect health, persons in 
every degree of health are more or less insane, Mrs. Eddy 
not excluded; disease being a lesser degree of health. 
Mrs. Eddy claims to have been sick during a greater part 
of her life. Hence, if sickness is a degree of insanity, 
the lady, according to her own words, must have been 
more or less insane for many years. 

"A child can have worms if you say so,, or any other 
malady." (p. 412.) 

Mrs. Eddy shows a lamentable ignorance of inverte- 
brate morphology, for, whether we think of it or not, we 
find by eating the cysticercus of tape-worm in raw beef, 
and so with other parasites, that we know pass a definite 
cycle of existence in the various hosts, and this is the way 
they get into and are found in the dog, cat, bird or fish, 
being picked up with the excreta of those that are in- 
fected with them. 

"The treatment of insanity is especially interesting. 
Hoivever obstinate the case, it yields more naturally than 



Quotations from Science and Health. 149 

most diseases to the salutary action of truth, which coun- 
teracts error." (p. 412.) (This reads like insane — 
treat the insane). 

If this assertion were qualified, so as to refer to cases 
of mild, ■ agitated insanity, melancholia, or hypochon- 
driachal conditions, it could be (at least) partially ad- 
mitted. But, as it stands it will not hold, for there is 
not on record a single cure performed by Christian Scien- 
tists of a case pronounced incurable by competent au- 
thority. Yet the cult has been in existence more than 
forty years. 

If what is claimed by the Christian Scientists were 
true the cure of a few cases of paralytic dementia would 
offer the best cases for practice or demonstration, be- 
cause such insane persons want to be cured, and are not 
repulsive to suggestion, their mind being a blank, and 
not in their own control. And the chance, to demon- 
strate the Divine power of healing could hardly be more 
positively proven than by the permanent restoration of 
sanity and health, to the chronic, and by competent au- 
thority pronounced incurable insane paralytics. 

"Hear the words of our masters 'Go ye into all the 
world! Heal the sick, cast out devils!' " 

Mary Baker G. Eddy's little book, No and Yes. 
(pp. 23.) 

The above, which purports to be a quotation from 
Holy Scripture, Matthew, x, and St. Mark, vi, is not a cor- 
rect quotation at all. Here are the true texts : Accord- 
ing to St. Matthew, x:l-9, we read: "And having called 
His twelve disciples together, He gave them power over 
unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner 
of disease, and all manner of infirmities. And the names 
of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, 
who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother. James, the 



150 Quotations from Science and Health. 

son of Zebedee, and John his brother. Phillip and Bar- 
tholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the publican, and James 
the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus. Simon the Ghana- 
nean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. These 
twelve Jesus sent, commanding them saying : Go ye not 
into the way of the Gentiles, and into the cities of the\ 
Samaritans enter ye not. But go ye rather to the lost 
sheep of the house of Israel. And going preach, saying, 
The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise 
the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils freely have 
you received, freely give. Do not possess gold, nor sil- 
ver, nor money in your purse." And again: when He 
came into His native country, as we find by referring to 
St. Mark, vi:7-13, where it is said: "He called the 
tivelve, and began to send them tivo by ttuo, and gave 
them power over the unclean spirits. And commanded 
them that they should take nothing for the way, but a\ 
staff only; no scrip, no bread, nor money in their purse. 
But to be shod with sandals, and that they should not put 
on two coats. And He said to them, Wheresoever you 
shall enter into an house there abide till you depart from 
that place. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor 
hear you, going forth from thence, shake off the dust from 
your feet for a testimony of them. And going forth 
they preached that men should do penance. And they 
cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that 
tvere sick, and healed them." 

The apostles were not sent into the "whole ivorld" 
before Christ's resurrection, nor were they commissioned 
simply "to heal," as Mrs. Eddy would have it, but they 
were sent at that time to preach and heal, only 
among the children of Israel. And this they were to do 
for the purpose of preparing the way of the Lord. Christ 
afterwards followed preaching the truth of God as "one 



Quotations from Science and Health. 151 

ivho hath power." But, after His resurrection when the 
disciples were shut up in a room at Jerusalem for fear of 
the Jews, He came to them, saying: "All power is given 
to Me in heaven and in earth. Going, therefore, teach 
ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them 
to observe all things tuhatsoever I have commanded you; 
and behold I am with you all days, even to the consumma- 
tion of the world." St. Matthew, xxviii : 18-20. And ac- 
cording to St. Mark, xvi:15, "Go ye into the whole world 
and preach the gospel to every creature." 

It is evident that the apostles did not understand the 
commission to conform to the idea set forth by Mrs. 
Eddy, else they would have put it in practice, and required 
it to be continued by their successors. 

If Mrs. Eddy had lived nineteen hundred years ago 
she would undoubtedly have called on those three thou- 
sand people who witnessed the pentecostal miracles : 

Bring your sick, we have been sent to heal them. 
St. Peter, however, and the other apostles, did nothing of 
the sort ; but exhorted the people to do penance over their 
sins, be baptized, and believe in Christ as the Son of God. 

'7s Christian Science of the same lineage as Spirit- 
ualism or Theosophy?" 

Mary Baker G. Eddy in No and Yes. (p. 22.) 

After giving each of them due and impartial study 
and consideration as to their origin, doctrine and aim — 
could you conscientiously deny the kinship of the three 
sects ? 

"Is Christian Science from Beneath, and not from 
Above?" 

Mary Baker G. Eddy in No and Yes. (p. 23) . 

(Her conscience seems to be accusative) . 



152 Quotations from Science and Health. 

According to Holy Scripture the first misrepresen- 
tations made, and lies told to mankind, were by Satan, in 
disguise as a serpent, and it is said that it is he who 
reigns over the kingdom below. Hence, the principles 
advocated by Mrs. Eddy, being full of misrepresenta- 
tions, must be from beneath. 

These are only a few of the inconsistencies of this 
cult's teaching, but it is hoped sufficient to enlighten fair- 
minded and intellectual men and women, to see how re- 
markable it is, that so many people have allowed them- 
selves to be duped by this phantastic teaching and prac- 
tice for so many years. 

After having given due consideration to the forego- 
ing discussion of the many fundamental fallacies of so- 
called Christian Science and other fantastic illusions, we 
must conclude that it is plain that it is better to hold our- 
selves aloof from such pernicious and contaminating in- 
fluences, for even anciently Solomon said : 



He that walketh with the wise shall be wise; 

A friend of fools shall become like them. — Prov. xiii : 20. 



Emmanuelism 

Emmanuelism is nothing more nor less than another 
cult on self aggrandizement, if not commercialism. 

The advocates of this latest cult claim to be inde- 
pendent of the general so-called faith healers, and in an 
effort not to appear before the public as teachers of a 
new religion maintain that they confine their work to 
nervous (a better name would be imaginary and hys- 
teric) , or psychological cases. They claim to have "suc- 
cessfully treated cases of tuberculosis," p. 2, Religion and 
Medicine, and thereby place themselves in the category of 
so-called general healers. 

The claims of the Emmanuelites as set forth in their 
text-book — Religion and Medicine, would lead 
us to believe that they have approached the sub- 
ject of healing from a totally different point of 
view than that of Christian Science, and that 
their movement bears no relation to Christian Science 
whatever. It is not to be an imitation. They tell us that 
they have taken their stand fairly and squarely on the re- 
ligion of Christ as that religion is revealed by the New 
Testament, and as it is interpreted by modern scholarship, 
and combined with this the power of genuine science; 
and this they "consider a good foundation." (p. 12.) 
But where do all tne other cults come in? Those of the 
early era of Christendom? Those of later ages, and of 
our time ? Do not all lay claim to be based on the teach- 
ing of Christ? 

Does Mrs. Eddy, Dowie, and all others as a whole not 
make the same claims? What difference, then, does it 



154 Emmanuelism. 

make even if a few easily led physicians are inveigled? 
Emmanuelism must be classed as one of the many healing 
creeds. 

Every such discovery or mechanism has at each and 
every age and stage found or claimed to have found some 
new or pretended or fancied new idea by which the cred- 
ulous can be led or misled, and after all it is the same old 
thing, illogical, irreligious, unscientific and unscriptural ; 
and last, but not least, untruthful, unbeneficial, but harm- 
ful to mankind and nursing hypocrisy rather than sound 
thought and science. 

"The tendency of the age in which we live may be 
summed up in two words, mechanical and materials (p. 
148.) This is correct as far as it goes, but if we are to 
judge people by their actual lives (instead by the theory 
expressed) , we ought to amend the above to have it read : 
The tendency of the age, etc., plus incredulity and super- 
stition; and then pray that the so-called humanitarian 
would practice and teach true science and religion rather 
than take up with Fakeism and pretenses that have 
neither a logical, historical or scientific basis to work on. 

The Emmanuel movement text-book quotes Moebius 
as saying: "We reckon the downfall of religion as one 
of the causes of mental and nervous diseases' 7 (p. 151.) 

Probably true, but mind healers will certainly not les- 
sen the tendency towards unscientific treatment of such 
cases, nor prevent the human race from disrespecting ra- 
tional and authentic religious practice. Most people will 
sooner or later see that these men are not teaching nor 
practicing true science and true religion, and by this 
means the true dignity of the profession, whether as phy- 
sician, Scientist, or minister of the Gospel, because a 
doubtful quantity in the eyes of many, and so fall into a 
new heathenism or superstitition, and may later on re- 



Emmanuelism. 155 

turn to the true state of affairs, but not before great loss 
to mankind, to the profession, to religion and morals has 
been sustained. 

"The morality of a nation suffers seriously through 
the downfall of its religion, as experience has everywhere 
and always proved." (p. 153.) 

Well, but how would any well-read minister or phy- 
sician improve morality or religion by an unscientific 
and false teaching? 

"The most incurable and impossible patients have 
been business men, who have never learned to play." (p. 
155.) 

A change of life and environment, rest, and it may 
perchance be a good thing to get them more interested in 
religion, all of which may be accomplished by suggestion 
best by the physician, and even by the ministry, but 
whomsoever undertakes this mode of healing should do 
it with a sense of truth, and not with mysticism, super- 
stitions, murmaling or other such unintelligible or hypo- 
critical practices. When suggestion is needed, use it. 
When medicine and good, wholesome and scientific ad- 
vice is needed, give it. 

The errors mentioned on pages 234 and 235, into 
which various sects and practitioners of suggestive thera- 
peutics, mind cure and mental healing have fallen, disre- 
gard the physical and mental examination, and look upon 
diseases as purely imaginary, as an error of mortal mind ; 
would be but in a very small degree removed from that 
cult, for, to bring in the minister of the Gospel for the 
express purpose of curing imaginary or mental ailments 
and diseases on this plan is certainly unscientific, if not 
hypocritical. And yet the originators are supposed to 
be men of learning and models before the people ! 



156 Emmanuelism. 

"The chief object of this volume is to present to the 
reader an epitome of one of the most important tenden- 
cies in modern medicine, namely, the treatment of certain 
functional nervous disorders by means of suggestion, or 
psycho-therapy." (p. 260.) 

"If this were the object and practice no scientific 
physician or minister of the Gospel would object or find 
fault, provided it were done in a scientific and pro- 
fessional way, leaving out superstition and false teaching. 

"If we regard faith simply as a psychical process or 
mental attitude, history and experience alike testify that 
it has healing virtue." (p. 293.) 

Where the disease or disorder is simply psychical or 
imaginary, etc., psycho-therapy may be the main thera- 
peutic agent needed, and in such cases the above remarks 
may be admitted. But amongst the men who have given 
this matter careful attention there are none who will ad- 
mit that psycho-therapy or suggestion has healed a really 
sick or organically sick patient. Whether there were 
miracles performed by Christ or those under His author- 
ity from time to time is of another question. 

Religion has no more to do with psycho-therapy 
than mathematics, but religion may have a psycho- 
therapy of its own in that, by the producing of an up- 
lifted and exalted feeling, certain practical results are 
obtained. Scientific psycho-therapy, however, is based 
on a psycotherapy applied to the underlying disease ! 

"We are suffering for the church's neglect at the 
present time." (p. 300.) 

May not the reason lie in the fact that those churches 
will not admit true miraculous cures, and true science and 
history? 

"One of our most natural human instincts is prayer." 
(p. 302.) 



Emmanuelism. 157 

Done at the proper time, and in the proper place, 
would not be objected to by any well meaning and scien- 
tific man. 

The leaders of this movement profess to base their 
advent into the practice of medicine on "the poiver of 
genuine science." (p. 13.) And cite in support of their 
profession the fact that they "have associated themselves 
with able physicians." (p. 2.) But, when this is more 
closely looked into it will be apparent that in reality they 
have attempted to associate themselves with the physi- 
cians for the purpose of discussing with them the advisa- 
bility and great desirability of uniting the efforts of the 
medical profession, so that the people shall learn to live 
hygienically and to think right in order that they may re- 
main sound in body and mind, a subject upon which there 
is no doubt how the medical profession stands. 

The Emmanuelites are attempting to associate with 
the physicians who would act as tools, who would, after 
making the diagnosis, turn the patients over to them for 
treatment, and they, for some incomprehensible reason, 
seem to assume that they have an ability to cure diseases 
which the physician has not or cannot acquire. The only 
real motive that can be assigned for such an attempt is, 
as in other cases (for example the physician) , that having 
failed in the profession for which they were trained, 
would try their luck in one for which they have no train- 
ing, on the ground that Christ was a physician, and they 
would follow His footsteps. 

"Our class is supported by the voluntary offerings re- 
ceived at its meetings, but that is all. We neither ask 
nor accept any reivard for our services." (p. 6. 

This is good bait for cheap fish. The inference, 
however, is not obliterated ; no one is expected to ask for 
free services, and those who are blessed with this world's 



158 Emmanuelism. 

goods are to contribute liberally. Furthermore, they dis- 
play a feverish zeal in getting out books, just as the Ed- 
dyites, and others who are bent on wholesale manufacture 
and sale of books. 

"But as student of the New Testament I affirm that 
if any portion of the Gospel is true and authentic, it is 
that part of synoptic Gospels tvhich describes Christ's 
healing ministry. His commission to His disciples to 
heal the sick and cast out devils, and which portrays His 
general manner of life." (p. 380.) 

This is the stand all gnostics and mind-healers have 
taken from the time of the apostles to this day. All 
healers (or whatever they call themselves), point to the 
same texts, and claim the same authority, not because 
the New Testament warrants such conclusions, but be- 
cause those conclusions peculiarly fit the scheme. 

Whoever has read the Bible and a little of church and 
secular history does not only know that the New Testa- 
ment teaches the reverse, but also that during the primi- 
tive and middle ages of the Christian era the church did 
not so understand religion, nor devote itself systemmat- 
ically to the healing of the sick. 

The primitive church (has at all times) recognized 
the works of Christ and His teaching in regard to the 
healing of the sick, as is shown in this volume; and ex- 
pressly left the art of treating and healing the sick to the 
medical profession. 

At no time did the Christian church underestimate 
the importance of caring for the sick and needy. 

It was the Christian church which called into exist- 
ence and operated hospitals for the sick, through her 
communities of Brotherhoods, Sisters and Monks. At 
various times during the first centuries after Christ, as 
well as later on, laws were enacted in general councils 



Emmanuelism. 159 

and in synods making it obligatory on the bishops to pro- 
vide that hospitals and charitable institutions under their 
jurisdiction be properly managed and that efficient and 
conscientious physicians be engaged for the cure of the 
sick. 

At no time has the church called on her priests to act 
as healers, physicians and surgeons, on the contrary it 
was her express wish that medical aid be given the sick 
by men skilled in the profession. 

St. Paul, himself a learned man, was very careful not 
to practice healing the sick, but himself received medical 
treatment from the eminent physician, Luke. 

And at another time St. Paul reported that he had 
left Trophemus sick at Meletus. 

St. Paul would certainly have known whether or not 
Christ intended the apostles and their successors to teach 
that the church was to be a healing institution; none of 
the apostles, however, so teach or write. 

Furthermore, the early Christian church would only, 
under certain restrictions, permit her priests to practice 
medicine and surgery, and at all times warned her mem- 
bers, both lay and clerical, from making use of any prac- 
tice which would in the slightest smack of superstition; 
and therefore has always discountenanced and condemned 
mind-healing. 

The reasons of the church in this matter are certain- 
ly plausible. In the first place the training, the thoughts, 
the mode of life, the duties and aim of the clergyman 
differ essentially from those of a physician. 

Second, the art and science of the physician is too 
important to permit it to be in the hands of those who 
cannot devote to it their entire time and attention. 

Third, medical practice interferes with the duties 
and is contrary to the dignity of the clergyman. 



160 



Eramanuelism. 



Though there have been occasional practitioners 
among the clergy does not prove that the clmrch fostered 
such practice. 

All this should appeal to the good sense of all well- 
meaning and scientific men. 

When we compare the claims of the "Bible student" 
with the true teaching of the apostles and the Christian 
church, and are told by him that Christ's church has neg- 
lected the important matter of healing the sick for nine- 
teen centuries, that it was discovered by and revealed 
anew to Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy, and then taken up and 
further perfected by the learned discoverers and pro- 
moters of the "Boston Emmanuelism" who will blame us 
if we express our amazement? 

"The instinct of religion must be respected." (p. 
38.) 

The fact that religious instinct in human beings re- 
quires proper training from the cradle up is probably an 
oversight by this theologian. 

The lower animals need no teacher ; the God-given in- 
stinct compels them to do just so, and no other way, and 
generations do not change this instinctive gift; man, on 
the other hand, has a free will ; he has the power to do as 
he wishes ; but conscience, religious education, and a sense 
of duty will influence his actions. 

Let religious training (education of the heart), go 
hand in hand with instruction of the mind from infancy 
up, and the grown men and women of our land will know 
that they owe to their Creator exterior as well as inte- 
rior worship. Keep young people from evil associations, 
bad books and papers, bad amusements and Godless 
schools and universities, and they will not so easily be- 
come religious backsliders. 

Let the theologian reflect ! 



Emmanuelism. 161 

The warning of Christ, St. Matthew, xviv :24 : "For 
there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and 
show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive 
(if possible) , even the elect/' 

May, without impropriety at this time, appeal 
to our senses; and furthermore, not be out of place in 
connection with the medical profession. For the medi- 
cal practice should be on the line of truth and common 
sense — on a truly logical and scientific basis, and that 
does not conflict with true religion. 



Instruction is grievous to him that forsaketh the 
way of life; He that hateth reproof shall die.— Prov. xv: 10 



Conclusion 

When it is asserted, therefore, that medicine in va- 
rious forms, surgery included, as known to mankind from 
the earliest times, was used for the amelioration and heal- 
ing of the sick and wounded, history testifies to the fact. 

Even in the earliest stage of the science medicine 
was well denned and made use of by the learned and un- 
learned, though we find that individuals of both classes 
resorted to superstitious practices no less then than in 
our own times. 

Since the days of Hippocrates, who lived in the third 
century before Christ, medical science has from time to 
time improved slowly perhaps, but surely and truly ; and 
regular and well-defined schools of the art gradually came 
into existence. 

Galen, who lived, practiced and taught medicine from 
130 to 200 A. D., continued the rational methods of Hip- 
pocrates, as a teacher became famous, and the Galenic 
teaching was from that time on for more than one thou- 
sand years the highest authority in the profession. 

No really scientific man will object to rational relig- 
ious beliefs of any sect, nor prayers as a consolation in 
the hour of trial, and as an aid to bear difficulties pa- 
tiently, so long as the natural means which God has pro- 
vided for the aid of the sick are not neglected. 

If the professional man limits his attention to his 
own sphere of action and duty, the clergyman looking to 
things spiritual, the physician to the body, the world will 
be the gainer for time and eternity. 

Religion, science and medicine, the great trinity, 
when intelligently applied. 



